Blind Date
by MorningSnow03
Summary: Ginny and Pansy team up to send Hermione and Draco on a blind date. But those silly purebloods didn't think that the blind in blind date meant anything other than the couple should be temporarily blinded so their attraction wouldn't be ruined by their past! Those muggles really are genius!
1. But, Why blind?

"But why must I be blind?" Hermione whined again as her hair was being pulled back tighter into into a half bun.  
"I don't know, it's called a blind date! You're the muggleborn here, shouldn't you know?" Ginny answered, exasperated.  
"Gin! Muggles can't be temporarily blind like Wizards can, how would muggles have a blind date while blind?"

"Well, look you've both agreed to the date and being blind. Don't try to get out of it now that you're nervous." Ginny answered, while fussing over Hermione's hair. "Nervousness is expected on any date no matter if you're blind or not! Honestly, you complain how lonely you are daily but you turn down any invitations for a date! You can't blame me for setting you up on something that I thought you would know all about because it's super muggle! Your hair is so frustrating!" She finished her rant with a screech of irritation.

"You think I don't know that?! I could have done it myself if you hadn't already blinded me!" Hermione growled.

Ginny took a deep breath and answered calmly, "You're right. Ok? I'm sorry. The guy you're going to meet is very well known and he's sick of people treating him a certain way because of who he is. I thought that that if you met him without knowing him... I just thought the blind date thing was a great idea." Ginny said, sounding shy and insecure, something the witch had previously seemed incapable of being until this conversation.

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed, resigned to her evening. "I'm sorry Ginny." She opened her eyes and was startled again at her blinded state. Shaking her head, she continued, "You won't give me any more clues about my mystery man? Is he someone we know? Is he hideous? He did agree to be blind also, right?"

Ginny laughed and placed a wrap across Hermione's shoulders. "No, I won't tell you anything else. He will be blind also. But if you can keep a secret," Ginny said with with a giggle, and whispered, "He is absolutely not hideous."

Hermione smiled and stood from her mirror. She carefully stepped to the right and turned to look toward Ginny. "How do I look?" She asked.

"Amazing," She laughed again, "I just realized you may as well have gone in pajamas since you're both gonna be blind."

Hermione smiled nervously. "I guess you're right. It makes me feel like it's real, though."

Ginny puzzled over that for a moment before responding, "Hopefully by the end of the night there'll be a little kissey face to make it feel real."

"One can only hope," Hermione answered dryly, not believing for fora second that she would kiss a guy on the first date.

Ginny took Hermione's hand and they apparated out of Ginny and Harry's flat with a giggle.

"Why do I let you talk me into these crazy ideas of yours?" Draco groaned as he bumped his shin against the side of his bed for the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.

"Draco, why are you even walking around? All you have to do is put on your shoes and we can go!" Pansy said in an irritated and decidedly motherly tone.

Draco turned toward her voice and promptly fell over his own nightstand. Pansy laughed uproariously and Draco nearly drowned her out with a string of curses. He rolled onto his back and crossed his arms over his chest with a huff. "I'm not going. I don't need a bloody wife or even a girlfriend. I have enough people wasting my money and dragging me through their problems. I don't need to go through this humiliation to add another one."

"Oh, come now Draco. You're acting like a child."

"And you're acting like my mother."

"No wonder we never worked out."

"Do I really have to go whilst blinded?"

"You agreed to it. It's some muggle thing my friend heard about. It's called a blind date. It's perfect for you. The witch won't know who you are, so she'll treat you like any other suitor. You don't have to worry if she's only with you for your prestige, money, looks, or charming personality," Pansy responded, the last bit dripping with sarcasm.

Draco sat up and held his hand out for Pansy to help him up. She obliged and he grunted a 'thank you' as she pushed him back onto the bed. He caught his balance and held out his hands, into which Pansy deposited his shoes. "I don't know how people treat just ordinary people. Is it much different from..?" He gestured between them, indicating his and her relationship from years prior.

As she watched him put on his shoes, Pansy answered, "A bit different. Not so formal. Less chaperoning. More fun when you click and more awkward when you don't. There's way more you can do and say without the pressures of contracts and all that nonsense."

He frowned, "How am I to talk about myself without revealing who I am?"

Pansy sat on the bed next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I haven't a clue. But I'm sure you can find a way to do so."

"She's not... too hideous is she? A little ugly I can look past but..."

"Bulestrode is too much?" He looked in her direction, looking horrified. She laughed, "No the witch you're meeting tonight is not Millie. No, she's not hideous."

"And the blind thing is both of us, right? Your friend would not let it slip who I am?" He asked, sounding insecure.

"That is correct. It's just going to be you and her and an elf. Just dinner. If you want to go on a second date, it's entirely up to the two of you. The potion that's blinded you will last 3 hours. I'm hovering again aren't I? I apologize. Here, take my arm and we'll apparate to the restaurant."

He took a deep breath and took her arm.

A/n: Hi everyone! So... this has been in my head for a few days now. I'm thinking it will be 5ish chapters. Next chapter should be longer, I think. And I'm sorry for any typos, I've had to write this on my phone, since my laptop is on the fritz.


	2. Awkward Glances

She could smell flowers, jasmine and roses especially, mixing together to make a dusky, heady aroma. There were tinkling noises somewhere nearby, as though a wind chime was swaying. The same slight breeze ruffled the delicate sleeves on her dress softly against her arm. "Where are we?" She asked Ginny quietly.

"We are at my friend's house. She has a lovely covered tea area in the garden. Oh, Hermione I'll have to bring you back when you can see, it's so magical in the evening!" A bird cooed to Hermione's left and it seemed like she could feel an opening to her right.

"Don't... don't you think it's too romantic for a first date?" Hermione asked in a fit of nerves.

Ginny giggled, "What does it matter? You both won't be able to see it."

"Oh. Wait! What am I supposed to call him? I'm not supposed to know his name until after, right?"

Ginny led her a few steps forward and answered, "We've given you both nicknames for the evening. Here put your hand here, there's a chair, see? Oh, ha, no I guess you don't. Your nickname will be G and his will be Q. His nickname has nothing to do with his name, before that brain of yours starts going." Hermione smiled, imagining Ginny's posture, one hand on a hip and wagging her finger angrily. "Don't smile at me, missy. There are rules. When he gets here, we will go over them." There was a pop of apparition nearby and Ginny said, "Why speaking of! Hello, dear friend. The garden is looking quite lovely this evening."

The voice which responded was an obvious falsetto, so Hermione mentally added to the list of clues in her head that the friend of Ginny had a recognizable voice in some fashion. "Yes quite, now don't forget what we discussed, dear."

Ginny answered, "You're right, sorry. Q, there's a chair, yes there. Careful not to kick G over here. Ok. So, rules! You cannot try to figure out who the other one is and likewise don't try to figure out who we are and only refer to us as your friend. There will be an elf by the name of Dunther who has instructions to not allow identifying conversation to happen. So no identifying questions! Dinner is an option of steak and kidney pie or chicken marsala. Uh... what was the other thing... Oh, right. We will be back in 2 hours to collect you. Questions?"

Hermione shook her head and Q remained silent.

"OK then. See you both in a while. Have fun!" Ginny finished and Hermione heard the pops of both women apparating away.

There was a crack of an elf and then a voice asked, slowly as if trying to speak correctly, "Would either of you care for some drink with yous appetizers?"

Hermione waited a moment to see if Q would answer first and when he didn't, she answered, "I'll have some white wine. Perhaps a pinot grigio if you have a good vintage available." She wondered if Q had allowed her to go first as a result of good manners or simple shyness.

"I has a delightful bottle that's will please miss. And you, sir?"

He paused a moment, thinking quickly and then answered, "I'll have the same. What is our appetizer?"

"A summer salad, sir."

"Thank you." Q said, dismissively.

They were alone together. Hermione tried not to let her nerves overcome her manners, but it was becoming difficult. She simply didn't know what to say. She absently smoothed down her dress across her knees and tried not to fidget.

He solved the problem for her, "G, huh? I wonder why our friends chose letters for our nicknames?"

"I suppose it's simple ease of remembrance? Rather that being, oh I don't know some animal or flower or some such nonsense." She purposefully neglected to mention it was a letter in her name.

"It does make me feel like some sort of super spy, though." He made absurd karate motions, testing if she would laugh.

"Oh, like 007?"

She really couldn't see, he realized, glad. Breaking out his best Sean Connery impression, he answered, "Yesh, very... Bond. Jamesh Bond."

She laughed, a musical tinkling laugh that made him smile. He liked that laugh. He felt himself relax a little. Then Dunther was back. He gently took each of their hands to show them where the glasses were, then he did the same for the napkin, silverware, and salad he had placed in front of them. They both thanked him and he stepped to the side rather than leaving.

"What option do you think you are going to have?" She asked after finally spearing a tomato and eating it. Maybe if she could just try to remember what it was like to read while eating...

He chucked, "I don't know. They sound equally difficult to eat while blinded. Whose crazy idea was it to be completely blind on a date? Pa- my friend, rather, told me it's a muggle thing. How would muggle even make themselves blind for a time? Do you know?"

She laughed again, wiping off her mouth out of habit. "My friend says she thought I would love it because it's super muggle. So I'm guessing she just misunderstood the term."

He wondered if she was muggleborn or half blooded. Her friend must be pureblooded, or else she would have understood the term. He added that information to his mental 'G file' to figure out her identity later. He didn't care about her status, he simply retained the information for further use as he did with almost everyone he met. "So you're... familiar with muggle things. I've spent some time in the muggle world as well. They are quite fascinating."

"I think so as well," She wasn't sure if revealing her muggleborn roots was against the rules, but it seemed like he must be pureblooded or maybe a halfblood. She leaned toward him being pureblooded, since he also didn't understand the blinding thing. "She didn't understand that muggles can't just blind themselves whenever they want. The term means you don't know the person at all, so it's like they're blindly going on the date, get it?"

"So, they can blind themselves, but it's difficult?" He asked, curious.

"Yes, but I think only muggle healers have the ability to do so. There's shots the healers can give, I think. Shots are with a needle?"

"That one I've heard of," He made a face. "How barbaric it sounds!"

She laughed, "I guess it does. Can you tell why you went into the muggle world?"

He thought about it for a few seconds. "The safest answer I can give- without revealing too much- is it was for business. One of the companies I work with has strong ties to the muggle world. They are quite important to my business, and so I wanted to learn more about the muggle side of their business. Is that too vague?" Draco wondered for a moment if he had ever uttered that sentence before. Normally, he was as vague as he could be, just to make it easier to keep others at a distance.

She smiled, "No, I think I get what you're trying to get across." She was remembering the merger of Weasley Industries with a radio manufacturer shortly after the war. When the story of their hunt for the horcruxes had come out, a whole host of witches and wizards became interested in radio transmitters like Ron's, rather than rely on the Daily Prophet. Weasley Industries had begun mass producing charmed radios in a similar way to how many muggleborn and halfblood kids had charmed them to keep up with the Weasley's broadcasts. Reports had been in the papers for about a week straight concerning everything from how the radios were made in the muggle world to the record breaking profits the merger had made for both companies. She even had a radio at home. She was incredibly impressed with the twins' business sense before, but after the merger...

They finished their salads at almost the same time. "Is mister and miss ready for the main courses?" Dunther asked, causing both of them to jump.

"Yes," they said together.

Hermione laughed, "Please, you go ahead."

Draco chuckled, "Alright G. I'm going to have the steak and kidney pie, please."

"Is the marsala with potatoes, rice, or pasta? Hermione asked.

"Mashed potatoes miss."

"Then I will have the chicken marsala, please." Dunther cracked away to get their food. She took a sip of her wine. "Mm, Q have you tasted the wine? It's marvelous!"

His voice was honeyed as he answered, "I have indeed, G. Do you often drink wine?" He mentally smacked himself. He probably sounded like a first year trying to get laid! He'd simply meant to sound friendly. Maybe she wouldn't notice.

She felt her cheeks redden and was grateful for his blindness. "Not often. I don't drink much at all. Not because I'm a lightweight or anything, I just... don't."

She wondered what expression Q had on his face at that. Disbelief? Curiosity? Disinterest? Dunther brought the food and she was distracted by the process of showing her where the plate and the silverware were at. She puzzled over how exactly she was to eat what she couldn't see. So she settled on using the same technique she had figured out with the salad. _There, that solid bit should be the chicken. Oh and this mushy bit must be the mushroom_. She thought, rolling her eyes at herself.

"So, do you go on a lot of dates?" Hermione asked hesitantly as she tried to cut her chicken with the side of her fork rather than risk using the knife. _Nope, that was all potato, better try again, _she thought.

"I... erm, well not real dates. They told you I have a problem with witches who won't simply treat me like a normal bloke?" There was a clatter as he dropped his fork and he laughed at himself.

She nodded, smiling slightly, then realized he couldn't see it and said, "Yes, my friend did tell me you were very well known and didn't like being treated differently for it." _Ah ha, there you are chicken._ She finally speared a bite of chicken and nearly moaned in pleasure at the rich sauce's flavor.

He cleared his throat uncomfortably. That was the heart of it, put so succinctly it almost sounded pathetic. "Yes, well. I was engaged at a young age, but she died in the war so I..."

Hermione reached for her glass of wine and accidentally brushed her fingers across his knuckles as she searched for the stem. His hand jerked slightly, but he didn't remove it from her reach.

She touched him on purpose to offer comfort, then moved her hand to her wine glass as he continued, "I became an eligible bachelor once again. To the younger me, it was great, even while mourning the loss of my friends and family who were lost in the war. But as I've grown older... I've come to realize the shallow women who had been attracted to the status and money is not what I want in a woman." He was glad they were both blind, else she might see the blush coloring his pale cheeks. He hadn't meant to be so open but he didn't really regret it.

_Oh, well I guess that means he's older than me_, she thought. "Well, I have trouble understanding anyone's attraction to those shallow type of women," She said after a moment, more bitterly than she intended.

"Had experience with them also, did you?" Draco asked gently.

"Lost a fiancee to them, as it happens. Twice."

"Ouch."

"Yep." She made her voice into a bubbly and higher pitched American accent and said, "Oh but bunny-boo, she's no good for you! She never has time for you! She just wants to work! As if you need a woman who works for a better world. You need a woman who will just _worship_ you and go to all of your very special events!" She took a sip of wine. "What a wonderful life he has now."

Draco was frowning. He hated that kind of woman, but he'd never seen their cat fights. "Why do you say that?" He asked, unsure if she was being sarcastic or not.

She laughed, "Oh, mostly because she got him drunk, got a friend to sleep with him, took pictures, and cleaned out his Gringott's account in the divorce settlement." She didn't realize how bitter she still was until she explained it to Q, a stranger for heaven's sake! "I suppose that's the kind of thing you're worried about, right?" She laughed, "This is so strange. Not seeing you makes it feel like I can tell you anything and you can't judge me. Is that crazy?"

She felt his finger brush her pinky and then his fingertips traced the outer edge of her hand. Just as slowly, he followed the line of her tendon back to her middle knuckle. Her heart was racing by the time he finished.

"No," He answered softly. "I get the feeling you wouldn't judge me even if you could see. Why do you suppose that is?"

She was worried how much she had liked that sudden increase in intimacy. It felt... natural. She had always felt unnatural in her previous relationships. Awkward in a way she had never been able to explain. Like she was acting interested to hide how uninterested she really was. She sighed, hoping it would help her gather her scattered thoughts. "Perhaps you're an amazing judge of character. I've always felt too small in the order of the universe to judge people forever. The only reason I give up on people is because their character forbids my help in problems."

He chuckled, removing his hand from hers. She heard a clink as he picked up his wine glass and tapped it against his plate by accident. "That's very sound logic, G. It seems like you may have been saved countless heartaches with that philosophy."

"And it took you far too long to learn the lesson, I take it?"

He grimaced at her perceptive words. "Hence why we are on this date."

She made a thoughtful noise in the back of her throat. "Well, perhaps neither is actually correct. The outcome was the same from both extremes."

"Isn't it always?" He answered, still chuckling. "I propose a life of moderation! Oh, damn. I ended up at Aristotle again."

She laughed hard at that, her laughter bringing his own bubbling from his throat. "At least you didn't end up in nihilism, else we'd both be crying into our cups," She said giggling.

He realized in that moment, as they laughed together in the moonlight that he liked this girl. He would like to see her again.

"Dessert?" Asked Dunther hesitantly. He had no idea what these crazy humans were on about, so he decided to try and get on familiar ground again.

"A moderate amount of ice cream would would be lovely," Hermione said before letting loose another fit of giggles.

Draco laughed and then told the elf, "I'll have nothing." Before he started laughing again.

"If mister and miss are sure..." Dunther said, confused why they were laughing.

"No, no, wait" Hermione gasped out, gripping her sides to attempt to alleviate the ache from laughing so hard. "I was only joking. I would actually like a bowl of fruit if it's not too much trouble."

"I was kidding too, Dunther. Can I have one of your brownies, please? With a bowl of strawberries to go with it?"

"Yes sir, and miss!" The elf cracked away, feeling more confident now that things were a bit more normal to him.

In his absence, Draco couldn't think of anything to say. G was very interesting and he felt lost not knowing what she looked like. "I wonder if we know each other already," He thought aloud.

Hermione was increasingly perplexed by the wizard before her. Something about him seemed so familiar, and yet she didn't know what it could be. "Perhaps we do." She bit her lip wondering if it would be too forward for her to ask him for the second date. Or if it were too early and maybe it would ruin the easy conversation by adding a layer of awkwardness.

He was worrying his lip in a manner unbecoming of someone of his status, but the risk of asking her on a second date was more stressful than any of his previous encounters with women. What if she said no? What if she started acting differently once she saw he was Draco Malfoy, CEO, war veteran, murderer... He cleared his throat. "I... erm," He was interrupted by cold hands on his own hands.

Dunther was back, gently leading Draco's hands to the bowl of fruit, his brownie, and the dessert fork. He loathed the elf for interrupting his attempt to woo the girl. He also loved the elf for allowing allowing him a moment's reprieve from his possible blunder. He took a bite of strawberry and debated with himself again.

Hermione decided to forgo the silverware and ate the fruit with her fingers. No one was around to see it, so who cared. "Well, if it's any consolation, I'm not entirely sure you are any different from a normal bloke," She said suddenly.

He chuckled, "That's what I keep insisting, yet everyone treats me so... you know, like I'm on a pedestal or some such." He sounded so unhappy for that moment, she reached out to offer comfort again. Her hand found his wrist. She softly stroked it and then took his hand gently, he squeezed hers back and then turned her hand over to trace her palm. "When I was younger, I may have wanted this type of treatment. Now I'm beginning to see that its all an act in order to get ahead, noticed, famous, whatever stupid thing they need. There's only one thing I need and those types of people can't give it to me." He was unsure if his touching her was making her uncomfortable, but not seeing her as they spoke made him uneasy. Experiencing her with any other sense soothed him a bit, so he would allow himself the selfish act of touching her. She may even understand when he explained it to her one day.

Her voice sounded a little husky to herself, but she hoped he couldn't hear it. "What is it that you need?"

"Why, G, can't you figure it out? I'm pretty sure you're a smart witch."

She turned his hand over and performed the same gentle stroking of his palm while she thought for a moment. This all didn't seem like first date conversation. She honestly felt like she had known Q for years upon years. Perhaps this was what it was like to connect with someone. Her eyebrows raised as she rethought their conversation. "You're alone. Nearly everyone is using you for their own gain and you just want someone to connect with. Isn't that what made you ask your friend for a date?" But it was more than that, she realized as she was speaking. "But the connection is more important to you than you're letting on..." She didn't realize, but her fingertips had moved up to his wrist as she thought it through. "You were engaged before... if you're a pureblooded wizard and my age or even older than me, both of which are distinct possibilities..."

There was a pop of apparition, causing her to jump and pull her hand back from his to cover her heart in fear. Ginny announced, "Your time is up! How was dinner?"

"Delicious," Hermione answered.

"Fantastique," Draco answered, unsure of what to do now.

"Ready to go?" Ginny asked, taking Hermione's shaking hand. "G! You're trembling! Are you OK?"

Pansy had been trying to help Draco to his feet and was quietly trying to speak to him, but Draco's attention was immediately drawn to the conversation between the other two witches as concern bloomed in his chest.

Hermione laughed, "You startled me! I'm OK, though."

"Well, are you ready?" Ginny asked.

Hermione felt like she was forgetting something, but she wasn't sure what it was. "Did I come with a purse?" She asked as quietly as she could, embarrassed at her flustered state.

"No, just your pretty self."

"Then I guess I'm ready," She answered. Blinking, she realized the nothingness of her vision was beginning to change into warm light. She debated saying something to Ginny about it.

Draco spoke up, "G, uh... would you like to go out again? On... on a proper date?"

Her vision was beginning to show more colors. She could see Ginny's hair next to her and when she looked toward Q, she could see a tall black man-shaped form emerging from the greenery surrounding him. "I think I would like that very much," She answered, waiting for her vision to clear enough to see him for the first time.

Ginny was gesturing, Hermione noticed the movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned her head a little and saw Ginny making motions to the other witch that they ought to leave. Ginny pointed to Hermione, her own face, and finished by making a shoo motion. Ginny had apparently noticed that Hermione could see again. _Why would Ginny not want me to see the man... Oh god_, she thought with her heart dropping into her shoes, _who was I on this date with?_

She frantically looked over to the man as everyone was hurriedly saying goodbyes and promises for plans to come. Ginny was saying that 'G' would owl 'Q' the next day to make plans, and Hermione absently agreed and they said goodbye. She could see something pale over his head, _Wait, I think that is his... hair? Who has... _she gasped_. Malfoy?! No it couldn't be!_

Ginny grabbed Hermione's arm and they apparated back to Ginny and Harry's flat. Ginny casually asked, "Has the potion worn off yet?"

Hermione debated lying versus calling Ginny out and decided on the former. "Not really. I'm starting to be able to see light again."

"So… what did you think of Q? You simply must tell me everything!" Ginny flitted off to the kitchen to grab some wine and a couple of glasses. "How was the date? Did you two get along? What did you think of him? Did you get any action?" Ginny was saying as she gathered her materials.

"Are you going to tell me who he was?" Hermione asked while carefully sitting in her favorite spot in the sitting room.

She heard Ginny stop flitting around for a second, as though shocked. "If… If you want me to, I will…"

"Why all the secrecy about who we are? Is he someone I know? He mentioned the war, was he a death eater?"

Ginny sat down heavily in her couch, looking guilty and defeated, Hermione was unfortunately reminded of Ron in that moment. He'd had a similar expression on his face when he'd finally admitted to cheating on her with the American girl who he had met, married, and divorced in the past five years. "I don't see how it would matter. He's not that person anymore.." Ginny muttered.

"How would you know?" Hermione asked, looking at her sharply. Hermione's vision was almost back to normal now.

"My… my friend and I have been… She's…" Ginny sighed.

"He was Malfoy, wasn't he?" Hermione said, deciding it was time to lay all the cards on the table.

Ginny covered her face. "You were both supposed to stay in the dark until the second date. We had it all planned out."

"What do you mean he's not the same person?! He still torments me every time he comes to my office! Why would you think we should date?!"

Ginny stood and started pacing, running her hands through her hair in irritation. "You both have so much history of not getting along! Pansy and I realized you two would be perfect for one another after that Ministry ball last year! You got along so fantastically until he mentioned Malfoy's name and you started ranting about what a prat he was! You'd have never even known who he was until that!"

Ginny was referring to the Ministry costume ball last Halloween. Hermione had struck up a wonderful conversation with a tall 'Roman soldier' while disguised as Princess Jasmine from the Disney movies. She had charmed her hair black and gotten a smoothing treatment while she had gotten a potion to change the color of her skin to a golden brown. She had felt sexy and confident in the silken costume and had been sent drinks most of the night from all over the hall.

Most of her night was spent hiding from Ron and dancing with several dozen wizards as well. She had turned down more offers to dance than she had been asked for up until that night. But when the tall Roman soldier had asked for her hand, she had accepted, thinking him to be Fred Weasley of all people. She still didn't know why she had thought that in the beginning, however, once she had been gracefully spun into his arms, she realized her foolish mistake but decided that she liked the man's dancing ability anyway.

He had been a wonderful conversationalist and she had been debating asking him if he would like to meet for a drink someday in the future. Then he had mentioned working at Malfoy Industries and she had spewed forth a whole speech of venom about the head of the company. One Mr. Draco Malfoy who happened to sit at her table and let her humiliate herself for a good five minutes before calmly taking off his helmet, shaking out the silken gold tresses hidden beneath and drawling to her that if she were concerned about flies entering her open mouth that she might consider closing it soon. And then he had smirked at her! Smirked! So she did what any reasonable person might do.

She dumped her drink on his head and ran.

"I am harassed by him weekly at work, why would I want to date him?" Hermione asked again, unsure of what to think of Ginny's assessment.

"I've seen his 'harassment' of you, I've seen him in social functions speaking to literally hundreds of different people, and I'm pretty sure he only speaks to you like that," Ginny answered cryptically.

"Where have you seen him at social functions?" Hermione asked, shocked. She was so confused.

"Pansy throws parties all the time. Since we started working together, she started inviting me. It took me a while to go, you know. Harry finally convinced me. There's a lot we didn't tell you about that, since you have such solid beliefs about Malfoy."

She could feel herself turning red. "I HAVE NO PROBLEMS WITH HIM! He is just so RUDE!"

"He wasn't rude tonight," Ginny said smugly.

"It only solidifies my point. He is absurdly rude to me for no apparent reason. Just me. When he finds out... Oh gods when... when he finds out it was me..." She sat back in her chair and couldn't hold back the feeling of humiliation. "Why would you do this to me, Gin?" She whined. "He'll never let me live it down."

"You don't know that," Ginny said, trying to stay positive. "He might surprise you."

The rest of the night was spent alternating between Hermione stressing about how Malfoy would react and subsequently treat her once he found out she was G and Ginny dissecting every moment of their date.

A/N: So... there you go. The hubs says it makes sense and is ok, but I'm unhappy with it. I might come back and edit it just to get across that they both feel a genuine connection to the other, which I feel like didn't come across so well. Any constructive criticism is across absolutely welcome, whether in a pm or a review. Also, please forgive typos, I am writing on my phone...


	3. Reflections

-Draco's penthouse, Sunday evening-

"Granger." Draco said, disbelieving.

"Uh huh," Pansy affirmed apprehensively.

"The little buck toothed bookworm we went to school with," As though he suspected maybe it was a different one.

"Yes, Draco," She was beginning to get worried, now.

"Chief undersecretary to the minister that I see every week." How common could the name Hermione be, anyway?

"The very same."

"The girl who dumped a drink on my head last year."

"Draco! Of course her!"

"Huh," He said, thoughtfully.

"Well? Are we planning on sharing your esteemed thoughts with the rest of the class?"

He paced across the room twice with his hands clasped behind his back. They were lounging in his upscale lounge room, lounging in a manner the designer had assured him the room was simply _made_ for. London bustled 20 stories below them, even this late on a Sunday evening, car horns and music were blaring outside the soundproofed glass. Not that they could hear it, but the city moved, regardless.

Draco hated it.

He wanted the penthouse to look like a home, not a hotel. Yet, another boring attempt at minimalism is what he got, complete with boring abstract paintings upon the wall and even a minibar he'd not requested.

It was just another symptom of his disgust with the entire affair that came with his name. Did anyone ask him what he wanted? No. He was assumed to want minimalism in his home. In his office. In his life. He stopped pacing and simply stared out the window as he meandered through this thought process.

A slew of beautiful yet meaningless women who had never been what he wanted. Men who bought him expensive cigars and brandy, never asking if he smoked or drank either. _Of course, drinking a cigar is probably more disgusting than smoking it, but it's no matter. _He hated all of it.

None of the people in his life mattered to him aside from Pansy, her daughter Flora, and Blaise Zabini. Everyone else may as well be wearing signs proclaiming 'charlatan', for that was all he ever saw when he looked at them.

Granger though... while he had never put her in the important people pile, he also could never put her in the charlatan pile, either. If there was one thing anyone could ever say about Granger, it was that she was genuine. Never had it been so painfully obvious as when he'd been at that Halloween party. Telling him, albeit unknowingly, all of his faults in five minutes. The shock at her candid analysis had never wholly worn off. Nor had the embarrassment of her drink being unceremoniously dumped upon his head. He had never been treated in such a manner in his entire adult life.

The same could be said for this blind date thing. Perhaps the fact that she was Granger was the reason he'd felt like they had known each other all their lives.

They actually had.

Or maybe... "Why her, Pans?" He suddenly asked, curiously.

Pansy sighed. "You know that stupid cliche, opposites attract? Well, _that_ is why. You should see how you are after you spend your weekly twenty minute meeting with her. You look like you're out of your damn head for once. You look almost like you are relaxed. Well, as relaxed as you can get. And then there's the way she acts. She's so... blase about everyone but Ginny says she always has a million things to say about you. There is something there. What it is, well... I suppose you two must figure that out for yourselves."

He thought about that for a moment, absently rearranging the picture frames on the sill. "She was... different than I thought she could be," He said quietly.

"How?" Pansy pressed her luck by asking.

He sighed, looking out across the city again, grateful for his sight. "She was confident. But... without being angry," He answered. "I've never seen it unless she was being her bookworm self. In school. You know what I mean. She was just so bloody genuine. Almost like she was more real than anyone I've ever met. So open... I don't know how but we... we connected in a way... I haven't known before."

Pansy was shocked. Draco had never really been a man who would open up about his feelings, and yet here he was, seemingly laid out before her. Perhaps it was his French ancestry making him so sappy, but she wasn't sure. "Will you... will you pursue her?"

He picked up a picture from their Hogwarts days and looked at it sadly. Pansy knew that picture by heart at this point. It was Draco and Astoria Greengrass at some party, drunk and laughing as they made dumb faces into the camera.

Even seven years after Astoria died, Draco still missed her, Pansy knew. She had hated the pureblooded nonsense as much as Draco and they had planned on leaving it all behind once they were wed. She had always refused to bow to anyone, and Draco had loved the fire in her more than anything else in the world. Pansy covered her mouth briefly as she sighed sadly for her friend. It was like she could feel his sorrow, even across the room.

"I think I will," He answered, smiling at the picture as Astoria blew the camera a kiss. "Tori always told me I needed to settle down with someone real. She meant herself, but I think Granger might be real, as well."

Pansy stood and hugged Draco firm to her in a burst of love for her friend. "I'm glad. I'm going to check on Flora and then go to bed," She said as she started out of the room.

Draco smiled softly at her retreating back and told her goodnight.

Pansy was living with him for right now, until her divorce came through. She had been married off to Theodore Nott just after the war ended, and once their daughter had been born, his disappointment at her 'inability' to give him an heir had turned to rage. He had beaten her within an inch of her life only a week after she had given birth to Flora. It was lucky that Blaise had been coming to see the couple and congratulate their healthy little girl, else the inch she had left might have disappeared.

Yet, she had gone back to Nott once she was recovered anyway. She had been lured back in with promises and regret.

The next year, she had a miscarriage and ended up in St. Mungo's, barely clinging to life once more.

When Draco had gone to see her, she had quietly asked for protection and he had given it without question. It was only then that Draco learned of the first time, as well as all the other times where she had simply healed herself. Her whispery, barely there voice had haunted Draco's dreams for a week after their conversation. Sometimes, it came back to him in dreams to this day. So had the bruises that marred her pale neck and her eyes. Her eyes may have been the worst to Draco. They were normally so bright and cheerful, so expressive. But in the hospital, they were dull and swollen. Barely able to open. Unexpressive. Like her inner light had nearly been extinguished.

She would probably never marry again. Being so weak as to ask ones' husband for a divorce was shameful in pureblooded society. No matter the circumstance. In an attempt to protect her from the rumor mill, Draco had offered his own hand, but she refused to be his baggage forever. She had told him she wouldn't drag him through her problems like that, and besides that, she had insisted, she had her own ways of turning the tide in her favor.

She had continued to hold parties and an invitation to one was still considered an honor, despite the old women who whispered behind closed doors at tea. She was still a fashion icon. She would forever be the revered editor-in-chief of Witch Weekly, youngest to hold the position.

But sometimes under the public face, under her confidence, and under her prestige, Draco saw the swollen eyed and half dead witch he had seen in the hospital.

He shook himself from his morose thoughts. He was avoiding thinking of Granger and what their connection meant. How could he convince her that their history could be the only thing holding them back? How could he apologize for half his life?

What could he say to her the next time he saw her? He needed to figure that out before the midmorning to come.

He would need to woo her. He was certain she would fight every step of the way, but... perhaps starting off he shouldn't change a thing. Blaise always said, show a girl your worst and let her believe she changed you. Maybe in some cases, let her actually change you.

Draco blinked.

_She already has changed me. _

When had he ever thought so many thoughts about one person? How had his whole mind been devoted to her for so long tonight? When was the last time he had cared what he looked like or fretted over his wardrobe choices?

He shook his head. These thoughts were driving him mad. Glancing at the clock, he saw it was already well past midnight. He had been standing at the window thinking for 3 hours. He needed sleep.

As he showered and dressed for bed, he thought back to when he had decided this pureblooded nonsense wasn't for him. He and Astoria had competed for second and third in their class, but the number one spot was firmly inked in with the name Hermione Granger. They had both equally hated and admired her. Astoria had been the first to ask if they could be so easily beaten by a muggleborn, then how exactly were they superior to her? Draco had wondered about that for ages.

When school was over, he'd mostly forgotten about the little bookworm he'd once teased so mercilessly. Then they had a date and she didn't wrote to him like she had promised. The date had been Saturday evening, and it was now early Monday morning. Was she playing hard to get?

It had taken him all the time between the end of the date and earlier this evening to pry the identity of the girl from Pansy's stubborn mouth. Now that he knew... well. It changed nothing. He was just as eager to get to know her as he had been previously. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the knowledge that he would see her for the first time after their date in the next 48 hours.

He dreamed of her. Again. Of silky skin under his fingertips, her silence as he touched the exposed skin of her legs behind her desk. Her blush as he devoured her protests with his lips on hers. When his alarm went off, he woke panting and in need of a cold shower. Again.

-Sunday morning, Hermione's flat-

Hermione woke the morning after the date hoping that it had been a dream. Maybe she had too much cheese before bed? Or did she drink last night? _Coffee. Bathroom first, then coffee. The rest can wait._

She started her morning the same as she had every Sunday since... well, forever. Coffee with an apple strudel and the Sunday Times. The Muggle one, just to be clear. Sunday was her muggle day. Except for the cleaning, she did everything the muggle way.

Sipping on her coffee, she planned out her would read the paper, cook her meals for the week, then relax with the telly. She never answered owls nor wrote any missives on Sundays. But this week she would have to make an exception, since Ginny had promised that Hermione would owl Draco today.

Wait.

That wasn't a dream.

Her eyes widened. _Shit._

She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Harry. When he picked up, she asked for Ginny. After reminding Gin that she needn't to yell into the phone to be heard, Hermione asked, "What in the world have you gotten me into?"

"The... beginning of a relationship with the most eligible bachelor in the Wizarding world if you play your cards right?"

Hermione heard Harry in the background yelling at Ginny, "Hermione went out with Malfoy? When? Why don't you ever tell me these things! How did it go?"

Ginny answered Harry before Hermione could yell at Ginny some more, "Harry I was going to tell you today! Calm down!"

Hermione said, "Ginerva Potter, you come over here this instant! How am I going to deal with this when he comes into my office on Tuesday?!" Ok, maybe it was more like a yell, but that was just semantics.

"Look, you've got all your Sunday stuff to do. Can I fill in Harry and then help you make your dinners?"

"You're just trying to make me calm down before you come over!" Hermione whined.

"Unashamedly. You're bloody terrifying when you're angry."

Hermione sighed, "I know. Alright, fine. Yes. Just... tell me that only Harry will know? It's not going to be on the front page of any papers and I'm not going to get asked about it all day tomorrow?"

"I'm only telling Harry. Harry won't tell anyone."

"Promise?"

"Hermione!"

"Alright, fine. See you in an hour or so."

Hermione busied herself by drinking the rest of her coffee and straightening her loft. Outwardly, she looked peaceful. Serene even, but her mind was running at lightspeed.

She was debating her outfit for Tuesday, what she should write in her owl, what she would say, how long she should yell at Ginny, how Ginny knew Pansy, as well as about a hundred other things.

By the end of the day, she had a better handle on most of her questions as well as her dinners ready for the week, outfits for the whole week prepared, a clean flat, and a slightly less terrified outlook on the coming week.

As the sun set, she only had one thing left to do. Write a letter to Malfoy.

And as she watched the sun setting over the city, she convinced herself that maybe she didn't need to write to him _tonight_. It could totally wait one more day, right? She could tell a little white lie about how long it had taken her to finish her Sunday things, right? She was avoiding, but she was also still mildly terrified of a rejection from the man who Ginny had jokingly referred to as, 'the sexiest beast to ever enter the ranks of Slytherin'. It could wait till tomorrow. It wasn't her word that was being broken... it was Ginny's, right? She hadn't really been listening when Gin had promised for her. So... she could be a measly little coward tonight and a big brave lion in the morning.

She nodded to herself and berated herself at the same time. She headed to the shower where she berated herself some more for her cowardice. And when she slid the covers over her body, she berated herself to the tune of Brahms Lullaby until she fell into a restless sleep.

She dreamed that night of swimming through pitch black water under a starless sky. The only light around her was the moon, swollen and orange as though it were an eclipse. She floated on her back for a while, stating at the changeless moon and simply enjoyed the soft lapping of the water against her bare skin. Her mind floated as well. She felt blind, but for the moon and wished she could see the things around her. It didn't feel like she was all alone in the water. There were objects around her, she thought. Islands or boxes, she didn't know. But the world was still shrouded in mystery to her dreaming mind, and when she woke to her alarm clock, she woke with the feeling that the world in her waking life was full of mystery as well.

It was late Monday evening when Draco received the message from the one and only Harry Potter. He had been sitting in the nursery bouncing a giggling Flora on his knee and laughing at her ridiculous attempts to tell him a story through her giggles. She was two already, and trying her hardest to use all of her limited speech as often as possible. He barely heard Pansy call him from the other room, but when she entered the nursery with an envelope and a bemused expression, he wondered what he had missed.

"You've a letter, Draco. From Potter," Pansy announced, scrunching up her skirt to kneel on the floor. "Come here, little Flora baby."

"But... what could he want from me?" Draco helped the little girl find her footing as he spoke.

Flora darted to her mother who handed the letter into her little hands. "Go give this to uncle, ok? Be very careful you don't crumple it." Flora took the letter from her mother and then tiptoed across the room with the parchment.

Draco was smiling at the little girl and told her, "Thanks, my big girl. Did you and mommy already read your story?"

"No, uncah," She answered in a sing song voice, "I ganna read meself!"

Draco stood and kissed the top of her raven hair. "Well then, best get to it. Mommy will want to hear all of the story before she tucks you in."

"K!" The little girl squealed, running for her bookshelf.

"But Draco... I wanted to know what Potter has said," Pansy whined.

"But Pansy... You have your daughter to tuck in," Draco whined back, imitating her pout as he did so.

Pansy picked up a stuffed rabbit from the floor and threw it at Draco's head as he left the room, ducking under the rabbit.

In the lounge room, he ignored his feeling of disgust over the decor and sat in a chair by the fireplace. He opened the letter and read:

_Malfoy,_

_This should have come from Ginny, since you two are on better terms, but she's over at Hermione's being a girl. You know, squealing over your date and all. Anyway, if you're serious about a second date, Hermione might not be as ready for it as she seemed. If I know her like I think I do, she'll avoid you out of fear of embarrassment. And you won't make that fear realized, you understand. If you value that little thing between your legs, you won't embarrass her. If your mind has changed about her after finding out her identity, then don't you even dare try to use it against her. I will come after you for that._

_H.P._

It was dated from Sunday. Draco chuckled to himself and then put the letter on the table next to him to show to Pansy when she came.

A/n: Ok, so first of all, wow. I have really enjoyed all of the response I've gotten from this little story! Thanks for all the reviews, follows, and favorites!

Second of all, I'm sorry that I'm long winded. I am still going to try to have this done in 5 chapters, but I'm afraid of the length of the chapters. Hopefully, you guys are like me and love long chapters!

Lastly, don't forget writing this on my phone. If you see typos, shoot me a PM so I can fix it. I usually write while the hubs and I are getting our twins ready for bed, so I'm usually a little tired when I write. There's my excuse, I think it's a pretty good one!

Thanks for reading!


	4. Business as Usual

A/N: Ok, guys I am super sorry. I know, I should have this finished already! I just... I found out some horrible stuff in the private life and I've been very depressed ever since finding out. I just... I haven't had the drive to write. Hell, I was barely eating there for a while just from stress. Things are better, but not as good as they used to be. I'm sick of not being creative, so I'm going to be working on that. Looking forward, the next chapter will be their lunch, a bit of drama, and then a party. I might stretch this out to one more chapter just to add in a sexy scene if I feel up to it. I hope I do feel up to it. I'm going to finish this story, and then I have some plans for a few one-shots, too. I'm going to TRY to update weekly. Again, TRY. Thanks for reading!

Monday passed quickly and Hermione finally worked up the courage to write a note to Draco just before Flooing home for the evening. Once she signed her name, she hurriedly attached the note to her owl, Laramie. She tossed the powder in the fireplace and clearly stated her address before stepping into the flames.

Pansy was putting the final touches on her guest list for the party she was hosting this weekend. When the owl arrived at Draco's penthouse, she took it to him with a smug look and a wink before walking back to her desk to work on the guest list, penning in the name Hermione Granger to her list as she smiled.

Tuesday morning dawned windy and warm as the summer began in earnest. The day called for lightweight clothing and a picnic, but Hermione's day was scheduled quite tightly until well after sunset. There was a quarterly report due and the heads of various departments would be coming to her office to give their reports so Hermione could in turn give a final report in two days. She was stressed.

Rather than going in her normal Wizarding robes, she decided to wear Muggle business clothes for the entire week. The weather was the exclusive reason, she told herself often and loudly in her mind. It had absolutely everything to do with how much she liked having a bit more skin exposed to catch a stray breeze as she walked.

At precisely 9:14 A.M., Draco walked into Hermione's office as though he owned the Ministry itself. _So, the same as always,_ Hermione thought briefly as she glanced at him from her computer. Her assistant was walking behind Mr. Ministry with her blue eyes glued to his rear end. Hermione glared at the assistant as she deposited a stack of memos onto Hermione's desk. An all-encompassing need to change assistants overcame her at the interlude. Purely because the girl was not good enough at her job.

"Good morning," Hermione said quickly. During her decision to fire her assistant, she finished typing her sentence as he sat down across from her. He placed a folder on the desk and waited patiently for her attention.

She turned to the report on her desk and opened it. Then she stood and manually closed the blinds and pulled down the screen for the projector on the ceiling, and all the while devouring the words on the paper with a single minded determination that Draco could only marvel at. Was she avoiding him by using the report?

He watched her legs as she crossed the room, trying not to remember his heated dream from a few nights ago. The pencil skirt she wore hugged her hips and somehow made her legs look even longer than they did on her short frame. He had often admired her physical characteristics and ignored his attraction to the bushy haired witch. She turned around to walk back to the desk and he hastily looked back to her face. "You may begin at your leisure, Malfoy," She said. His mind really wanted to focus on his presentation. He wrenched it away from thinking about how she hadn't even realized she addressed him. He cleared his throat and began his presentation about his company's progress of licensing the rights to a particular spell.

Hermione was having trouble focusing. His practiced lecture voice was lulling her into sleep. She had not slept well the night before, not until she had finally whipped out her handy vibrator and had about three orgasms at around 4 am out of desperation for a little bit of sleep at least. The man across the desk from her may or may not have starred in her fantasies. She was trying quite valiantly to keep her mind off that particular possibility.

She tried to focus on making mental notes of his presentation. Adding a layer of secrecy to a spell in order to sell it was delicate work, and required oversight by the Ministry. In the case of this spell, it was especially closely monitored, as it wasn't meant to be sold, but rather used by only medical professionals. This spell that Malfoy was worrying on was meant to isolate the remaining dark magic from the Cruciatus curse which lingered in the body long after the spell was cast. As he spoke, she closed her eyes to imagine how the spell worked just for a moment.

"As you can imagine, the worry then becomes that anyone could use the spell if it weren't encased in such a specialized shell of secrecy..."

"Hermione," Draco drawled lazily as he sat back down.

She jumped slightly, guiltily opening her eyes and looking at him across from her. "Yes?" She responded inanely. He used her first name? Since when had he called her anything other than Ms. Granger or just Granger?

He leaned forward enough to rest an elbow on her desk and smirked, "You snore when you sleep, you know."

She gaped like a fish for a moment before she answered, "I do not! And more importantly I wasn't asleep!" Ok, maybe it was a screech but that was just semantics.

He chuckled. "Did you not sleep well?" He asked, sounding polite.

She looked at him for a moment, noticing his too pointy chin, his too wide eyebrows, his barely noticeable overbite. He wasn't as perfect as everyone imagined. He was very handsome, sure, but not perfect. "No, I did not, thank you for your concern." She answered, perhaps a little too icily.

"Hm, was it perhaps a lingering feeling of having forgotten something? Penning a letter perhaps?"

She blushed, "I'm sorry, Malfoy, really I am-"

"Draco, please. Honestly, we've known each other for half our lives, and we've been on a date together, yet you can't bring yourself to use my first name?" He clicked his tongue and shook his head slightly in his mock disappointment.

She ground her teeth, irritated at his careless condescension. "I've been busier than I thought I would. I sent you an owl just last night. Didn't you get it?" She gestured at him and left her hand outstretched on the desk, absently.

He looked at her hand for a heartbeat before answering, "I do remember getting a very short message from someone last night, but the name was smudged, you see. As though someone didn't let the ink dry before giving it to an owl. Let me see if I can remember what it said, 'Dear Malfoy, I'm not sure if I'm ready to go out on another date, but I would like to cook you dinner Friday night, if you'd like.'" He chuckled, "Is that how Gryffindors ask each other for a date? Oh it's not a date, just an invitation to dinner in an intimate environment? How am I to take that?"

She huffed and crossed her arms, "Well, what was I supposed to say? 'Hey Malfoy, let's go to the club and molest one another on the dance floor just like any of your other slags'? I've always just _loved _being plastered all over the front cover of every magazine in the Wizarding world." She rolled her eyes. "And being treated like all of the other women in your life just makes me feel so _special_."

He reached across the desk and touched her fingertip gently with his own. He had forgotten how soft her skin was, how warm her palm, he maybe shouldn't have touched her. But damn if he didn't miss the intimacy he'd experienced even if only for a brief moment. Looking up at her angry frown, he couldn't help but notice how much she glowed when riled. Perhaps that's why he always sought to make her so upset. "Hermione," He said, softly. He hadn't meant it like an insult, he just was trying to get a rise out of her and then accept graciously. _This might be harder than I thought..._

She snatched her hand away and stood up, "And besides all of that, this is exactly why I was afraid to write to you in the first place! I ask you for a second dinner and the first opportunity you have, you make fun of me about it!" As she angrily spoke, she stomped over to open the windows manually and then retracted the screen with an angry swish of her wand. No, his light graze against her hand did _not_ cause a tingling sensation to run up her arm. And no, _absolutely not_, was she beginning to feel butterflies in her belly, despite her anger. She was simply irritated and angry alone! Absolutely nothing more than that! "I don't know what Ginny and Pansy were thinking- oh!" Draco had gotten up while Hermione had been ranting and when she turned to face him and continue her rant, she was met with his chest. She looked up and met his icy gaze. There was no shock in her belly, no racing heart in her chest, no inhale just to enjoy his spicy cologne a second time. Absolutely none of those things!

"They were thinking that if we could forget our past or at least forgive each other for it, that we might make each other happy," He answered her softly. He might be a little too close, he thought, but gods how he wanted to touch her soft skin once more. He wanted to know how her hair might feel. Maybe against the back of his hand while he tilted her head just right- no gods he needed to stop thinking like that.

His answer made her angrier, "Forgive each other? What do I have to ask forgiveness for? I am not the one who called you a mudblood!"

He winced, barely noticeable, but Hermione was so close to him she couldn't miss any facial expression from the tall wizard. "No, but you've called me names just as much as I have. Neither of us are blameless here, Hermione." He gave in and touched one of her bare arms, _so soft, so warm. _

This was too much for Hermione to handle. The innocent hand on her arm was distracting and since when did Draco Malfoy use such placating tones?! She dropped her gaze and was met with the bare skin of his neck where it peeked out of his collar. She blinked when she realized she had licked her lips and one part of her brain was imagining his reaction to her nibbling just there where she could just see his pulse under his skin. She stepped away from him, blushing. "You may be right, about the names but what about how cruel you have been for so long with no reason?" She said, crossing her arms over herself in defense. "You don't know how much I've hated you for so long! One date doesn't fix all of that, Draco!"

He swallowed. This was the risk he was so worried about taking. "I've never hated you, Granger," He said, still softly.

She blinked in surprise. "You... what?"

He smirked slightly, "Never hated you. Maybe," He looked away, blushing a little if Hermione's eyes weren't deceiving her. "Maybe I was a little jealous of you and maybe I teased you a bit over the years... but never did I hate you."

She was probably looking like a fish once more. Her jaw had dropped and her eyes felt like they were bugging out of her skull. "But... but... what?" She was so completely amazingly brilliant, but never more so than in this moment.

He leaned forward and popped her mouth closed with a finger. "So, you want dinner on Friday, but I'm thinking maybe lunch? Today? Can't get more casual than that, can we?"

Her mind was completely overwhelmed. Malfoy was infuriating! "How can you be so insensitive?!" She screeched. Yes, absolutely screeched at him. "You can't just leave it at that! How many times have you nearly made me cry? How many times have you set out to make me look a fool? How many-" She was cut off by his lips softly covering her own. Her brain froze and after a moment her body filled in the gap. Her hands rested gently on his chest without permission and her heart was suddenly pounding in her ears.

He increased the pressure slightly on her lips and readjusted to be more in tune with her before nibbling on her lower lip. One hand touched her hip and his other hand cupped the back of her head while his tongue requested entrance to her mouth. A soft noise escaped her throat. She readjusted and her own tongue slithered against his own. He felt her slide her hands around his waist under his jacket. She sighed against him and pressed herself further into him. At the realization that those soft hands were only a millimeter away from his overheated skin, he pulled her body roughly against his and suddenly had the urge to press her against a hard surface and take that damned skirt off to find out if she was soft everywhere... Gods, he needed to stop, this was so much so soon. His hand moved from her hip to her bottom and rather than backing away and slapping him like she should have, she moaned and pressed herself even more fully against him. He found himself pushing her against the desk somehow and lifting her slightly so she was sitting on it.

She needed to breathe and suddenly she had ripped her lips from his and was devouring his neck, relishing in the smell of his cologne and tasting him on her tongue. His groan pleased and surprised her. He pressed his hips between hers and she felt him against her aching core. She leaned back, looking at him, and her brain finally turning back on when she met his hungry gaze. _Oh gods, I've made such a mistake, _she thought, her lower body clenching at his heated expression. She touched her swollen lips softly and looked at him wide-eyed.

He sensed her regret almost immediately, but her swollen lips and mussed hair called to the raging animal of his lust. He took a deep breath, willing himself to calm down. "I'm sorry, I just..." He began, but she spoke at the same time, "You kissed me," in a breathless whisper that had the animal racing around his chest again.

His thumb lightly traced her lower lip and she let out a shuddering breath, her eyes fluttering shut briefly before popping open. She licked her lips to rid herself of the tingle left in his thumb's wake. "Granger," He started, his voice gruff. He cleared his throat, "Granger do you want to get lunch and discuss this?"

She bit her lip and his eyes zeroed in on the action. "I don't know..."

"Granger, come on. Let me take you out. I'm sorry I started... that. I want to apologize for taking advantage of the situation." Gods how he wanted to take her lip between his own teeth. _I've made such a mistake_, he thought as he stepped away from her heat. "Please?"

She had a sudden mad notion to wrap her legs around his hips and draw him back to where she ached for him. She blinked in surprise. Never had she been so attracted to another person. What the hell was wrong with her? "I... I guess that would be alright," She heard herself responding. This attraction had to come from somewhere and the strength of it scared her a little just as it had every day since their first date.

He was smiling at her acquiescence. "Then I'll finish up this meeting and pick you up about noon, alright?"

She nodded. She touched his hand before he turned to go. When he looked first at their hands and then to her face, questioningly, she pulled him back toward her and reached up his body to pull his head back down to her lips. "Probably forward but..." She muttered as she did this. Hermione gently pressed her lips to his and then told him, "I'll see you later, then."

Her breath against his lips reignited his desire. He gripped her hips and pressed her against the wall next to the door. "Hermione," He whispered against her neck. He realized it was the same as when they argued, he just couldn't stop. How could he when she was this responsive to him? That had a dangerous twinge of possessiveness to it that Draco didn't notice in the moment.

She moaned against him and arched her back to press her aching body against him more fully. "Please Draco," She whimpered as he pulled her pulse between his teeth. His hands were suddenly on her bum and she was lifted against him. Her skirt rolled up her thighs as she spread her legs to accommodate his body between them. When he pressed against her aching center she moaned again. Her hips rocked against him and he growled against her.

"So soft," He muttered against her neck as he nibbled at it. "Gods, what have you done to me woman?"

Before she could answer, Hermione's assistant buzzed her on her muggle intercom, "Ms. Granger, your next appointment has arrived. What shall I tell him?"

Hermione looked up at Draco with wide eyes and slapped his hands away from her saying impatiently, "Let me down, let me down, I must answer or she will know."

He lowered her and she ran to the intercom to tell the assistant that she was nearly finished and to ask the next appointment if he would mind waiting just a few moments. The flat and uninterested answer from the assistant made Hermione relax and she looked up at Draco. He was checking her out. She smiled a little before saying his name.

When he looked up at her his eyes looked guilty, but he smoothly covered it by telling her, "I know that you're busy, I'll let you get back to it. See you for lunch?" She nodded and he took his leave.

"What the hell was that?" She whispered to the closed door as she touched her swollen lips. She quickly cast a few spells at herself and sat at her desk again before welcoming the Head of Domestic Flora into her office with a re-focussed mind.


	5. At Home with Malfoy

Quick note: _**This is a story rated M for a reason.**_ If you're underage or offended by explicit stories, turn around. I don't even know how you got to this chapter.

* * *

The buzzer interrupted her thanking the last Department Head for the meeting they just finished. "Miss Granger, your lunch meeting has arrived." She smiled and continued giving her thanks and congratulations to the heavily pregnant witch in front of her.

When she opened the door, allowing the Head of International Affairs to waddle out before her, she saw Draco standing at a magical painting of a stream. The scene showed a lovely forest surrounding water nymphs playing in a small stream with the full moon illuminating the flowing water. Draco was smiling softly at the nymphs' attempts to woo him through the painting. Hermione wished the Witch a good day once more and smiled at Draco, her stomach fluttering in nervous energy.

Draco turned and smirked at her before greeting the Head of International Affairs with a polite 'good afternoon' and a smile. Hermione informed her secretary that she would be returning in an hour and a half for her next meeting before gesturing to Draco to lead the way. He held the door open for her and then took her hand and placed it on his elbow. "I've decided we shall dine at my apartment, Granger. It's time for you to see how the other side lives."

She hid a smile and answered, "The other side, Malfoy? Pray, tell me what you mean by that seemingly innocent phrase."

He looked at her quickly, gauging if she was joking. "Ah, but the high society of the single most eligible bachelor in the whole of Britain, of course."

"High society? Please. Whomever decided you were the most eligible bachelor in Britain must be extraordinarily lonely." She realized she was really quite hungry. Before the day had begun, she had been a nervous ball of energy and had no appetite. She was running mostly off coffee, today.

He scoffed. "Well of course that drivel is from a notoriously unwed female reporter."

He was leading her to the lifts and, as is often the strange occurrence in an elevator, they waited to reach the ground floor to continue the conversation.

"Where do you live, anyway?" Hermione asked when it seemed appropriate to begin the conversation again.

"London," Draco drawled lazily as they walked.

"And what shall we be eating for lunch?" She asked, again realizing she was hungry.

"Pansy ought to be making a salad and some of the most wonderful tomato and basil soup you've ever-"

Hermione interrupted, "Pansy?"

"Oh, yes, Pansy lives with me." He answered simply. They were crossing the foyer in which a gigantic fountain sprayed ever changing colored water into a basin shaped into a crystal pond. The pond was raised above the floor so the passersby could see the marine life enclosed within. There were fish floating lazily in the moving water and even a few eels hid in some crevices.

At her stare, Draco finally answered her unvoiced question in a quiet voice, "She asked for asylum from her ex husband. She and her daughter live with me. If you want the details, ask her, for it is not my story to tell."

Hermione digested this news quietly as they walked through to the floo room. On the one hand, she was quite glad to not only have a chaperone, but also to see another side of Draco which she had never been privy to in their adult life. And on the other hand, she was decidedly upset that there would be a chaperone and that she would not get to see a side of Draco which she was VERY interested in seeing. In the bedroom. Perhaps in the shower afterward. And then maybe atop the dining room furniture after that. She laughed at herself as Draco led her over to a fireplace. He looked to her with a raised eyebrow and she shook her head, waving it off.

Before he threw in the powder, she stopped him. With a worried frown, she asked, "Pansy won't like… hex me as soon as she sees me, will she?"

He laughed, a sound she decided she quite liked in spite of it being a laugh at her. "No, she won't. You do know she's the one who was working with Ginerva to put us on our blind date in the first place, right?"

"Yes," Hermione answered, feeling foolish for having forgotten.

"You'll be fine, little Hermione," He said affectionately. Her heart warmed to the endearment and she smiled up at him.

He announced their destination and she stepped through first.

Her immediate reaction was an understanding of why Draco was so miserable. The decorations reminded her of a hotel. Drab minimalism, not a home to be free in. Then, the 'home' feeling burst into the room with a childish squeal of "Uncey Drakey!" Hermione tried to get a look at the little raven haired child, but as soon as the girl saw Hermione, she raced off once more shouting for her mother.

The floo activated once more behind her and she saw Draco stand straight again and cast a quick cleansing charm on the both of them as he frowned, He called out, "Flora? Pansy?"

"Is Flora the little girl?" Hermione asked. Draco nodded and she told him, "I think I frightened her, poor dear. She was calling for her 'Uncey Drakey' and just got me instead. She went off looking for her mother, I think," She was chuckling at his dark look for using the little girl's nickname for him.

"You start calling me that, Granger and I'll-"

"You'll what, exactly Draco?" Pansy's cultured tones were mirthful as she entered the room with her daughter on her hip. The little girl was going to be gorgeous, Hermione could see. She had raven black hair, board straight like her mother's. The girl had only peeked out from hiding against her mother's neck once, but Hermione had been taken by her striking green eyes and rosy complexion. Hermione could hear the little girl whispering to her mother and Pansy whispered back to her, "Her name is Hermione, little Flora baby. Can you try to say that?"

"Hermie?" The little girl said, a little louder.

Pansy leaned back, making Flora look at her. "Her- Mion- EE" She enunciated.

"Her-miown-ee" Flora parroted.

"That's about right. Do you remember how we meet new people?"

"Me shake hams?" The little girl said, uncertainly.

Pansy laughed, "Hands, little Flora. We shake hands with new people. I'm going to put you down and you go show Ms. Hermione the manners we practiced, ok?" The little girl nodded and Pansy put her down.

Hermione giggled a little and then got to her knees on the floor. She reached her hand out and smiled softly at the enchanting little girl who was shyly walking over to her. Flora took two of her fingers in her little fist and shook Hermione's hand side-to-side and said, "Very Nice to Meet Chu." In an extremely solemn tone.

Hermione tried very hard to match her seriousness when she answered, "And it is very nice to meet you as well, Flora."

Then Flora beamed a giant smile at Hermione and bounded to Draco to give him a hug around his knees and finally bounded out of the room to get 'Ruffles'.

"She's lovely, Pansy. May I call you that?" Hermione said, shy again.

"Oh, so very formal. Of course you can call me Pansy. I believe I will call you Hermione sometimes, but you must forgive me if I err and call you Granger."

Hermione smiled, and she was instructed to have a seat in the dining room next to Draco and informed that Pansy would be back in a few moments, as it was time for Flora to nap. Pansy left the couple with the information of her and Flora having already eaten, and to start their lunch in her absence.

Draco served the piping hot soup as he told her about how much he adored Flora. When they finished their lunch, Draco offered to take her on a tour of the apartment. Hermione wasn't stupid. She knew he wanted to have some time with her… potentially in his bedroom. So she agreed enthusiastically. They peeked into the nursery and saw Flora and Pansy were both asleep on Flora little bed. Draco chuckled and closed the door the rest of the way.

When they got to his bedroom, he opened the door politely, just as he had with all the other rooms, letting the decision of whether she wanted to enter completely up to her. She glanced up at him and then entered the room. He shut the door behind them and put up a silencing spell, just in case. He knew he was acting far too aggressively in pursuing her, so he was intent on letting her take the lead from now on. She seemed very much interested in him romantically, but he just didn't want to go at a pace which was too fast for her.

He showed her his collection of first editions from all over the magical and non-magical world. In her excitement when she saw them, she put her hand on his arm and smiled up at him. He wanted to kiss her then. He stopped himself and told her to look as long as she would like. He sat down in an armchair nearby and admired her beautiful backside.

"Draco?" she said, pulling his eyes away from her ass and making him look up to her eyes with some guilt in his eyes. "Can you reach a book for me?" Hermione was slightly confused. Almost every other time they had been alone, he had ravished her unapologetically. This time he was keeping a distance, but he had just been staring so hard at her butt. Then it dawned on her, he was waiting for her to make a move. So she asked him to reach something so he would come closer. When he stood next to her, she looked into his eyes and saw so many conflicted emotions.

She didn't immediately ask him to reach up, instead, she just stared at him for a moment. He saw her gaze soften as though she understood and then she reached up tentatively and brushed her fingers across his jaw. She dragged them carefully around his head and tugged him down to her level before she kissed him. Relief flooded him, she really did want to do this. Insecurity was a foreign concept to a Malfoy, but somehow Hermione brought it out in him. That insecurity was gone in a heartbeat when she lightly ran her tongue across his lips. He stepped closer to her and wrapped his arms around her as he pushed her to lean against the wall. The kiss became heated just as fast as the other ones did.

His touch burned through her clothes, even as he sought entrance to her shirt to touch her skin. He growled when she nibbled his lower lip. "Oh god _yes",_ Hermione incoherently muttered when he moved on to her neck, gently following the tendons to a sensational spot where her shoulder met her neck. She could feel herself arching her back in supplication to his ministrations.

He shouldn't be doing this. Again. He growled again when she arched into his hard body, her indecent softness calling to him again and he could not resist the call. He gripped her hips, trying with all his might to stop touching her, but the little minx wrapped those long legs around his waist and he was powerless to resist the heat from between them. He would not rut against her. He would not. _Fuck_. She was rocking her hips against the hard swell she had found and making these hot little whimpers against his throat. What the hell had he been thinking? He pressed against her harder and rocked against her at his own rhythm, pleased when he felt her shudder against him.

She felt her body tightening. Oh god his fingers were unhooking her bra and shoving her shirt up. "Yes, please," she gasped when he pulled back to be sure it was alright. His face was flushed and his eyes were heavily lidded and wild with the passion he had. For her.

He kept eye contact with her as he lowered his face to the aching peak of her breast. The point of his tongue traced along imaginary patterns and she rocked against him harder without realizing it. He sucked her rosy nipple into his mouth and her back arched hard as she came without warning.

He was going to lose his mind. He could practically feel her muscles tightening around him as she came. Her hips had moved so sensually against him while she came. Now that she had already had an orgasm, she should be boneless and he should have to wait before continuing. She was still rocking against him. She had pulled him back to her breasts, not that he had even thought about resisting. She was still making all of those incoherent little whimpers and moans and he was drowning in her arousal on top of his own. How was he supposed to stop? She frantically pulled him to her lips again and he could hear himself groaning as he felt her deft little hand stroking between them.

She pulled back from the kiss and looked at his face for reassurance that it was ok for her to be groping him so. The heat she saw in his expression caused her muscles to clench again, she felt so desperate for his thick member to be inside her.

He couldn't take it anymore. He roughly grabbed her hand and pushed it with her other one against the wall behind her. "First time shouldn't be like this," he growled against her neck, "And if we don't stop little Hermione, I won't be able to."

She nodded. "Do you want me to…?" she licked her lips and looked down.

Draco froze. Was she asking if she could suck him off? "Do I want you to what?" He asked as he pulled away from her throat to look at her face.

She blushed and he felt himself get harder, if that was even possible. She bit her lip and then asked, "Do you want me to… help you with that?" She rocked her hips against him to be sure he knew what she meant.

"Only if you want to," he answered, his head spinning with images of her sucking him off. But she hadn't indicated that she meant that specifically, so he tried to stop thinking about it. He was very much looking forward to the day when she would wrap those soft… plump… his mind was hazy as his imagination supplied him with a crystal clear image of her sucking his dick.

She licked her lips again, and his eyes watched the motion, cloudy with arousal. "Oh, I want to," She answered as she unwrapped her legs from his waist, again feeling the sharp pangs of arousal as she brushed against him. She pulled her hands out of his grasp, finished taking off her shirt, and pushed on his chest until he took a step back. She ran her fingers gently down his chest to his belt. Her fingers barely remembered how to unhook a belt, but she managed. She glanced up at him, feeling a little uncertain if she remembered how to pleasure a man, and found him staring unabashedly at her exposed breasts. She undid the button and began to unzip his pants. He inhaled sharply when her fingers ran over him. His pants fell at her urging and then she dropped to her knees. She felt more confident the more that he showed his arousal.

His silk boxers had a sizable wet spot from his leaking precum. Wicked ideas ran rampant in her head as she ran her fingernails over his thighs. Before she took off the boxers, she ran her lips across the silk over his weeping cock. He shuddered and put his hand on the wall behind her for balance. When she glanced up again, she saw he was staring at her and biting his own lip. He smirked lazily when he saw her looking.

_Enough teasing_, she thought as she took his boxers down. His hard dick bounced, despite her care not to hurt him. She swiped her tongue across the tip, experimentally, and he let out a shuddering groan. Her own body was tight with arousal and she squirmed at his reaction. She wrapped her hand around him, astonished to find she couldn't close her fingers around him. She gave an experimental stroke up his length and he groaned again, deeper this time. Using her tongue to wet the tip, she slipped him into her mouth for a quick suck before continuing to lick his head.

"Granger," he said gruffly. She felt her body tense, her clit throbbed in response to his voice. She looked up at him and took the tip into the heat of her mouth, edging him to the back of her mouth before making and inquisitive hum in response. His eyes fluttered and she felt him thrust unconsciously. "We're … ah… gods yes, like that," she had begun to bob her head slowly, suckling him deeper with each thrust. "… we're running out of ahh time." He said, sounding completely blown with lust. Her body was so tight with arousal, dear god how could he stand this heat between them? She changed the angle of her jaw and sucked a little harder and sped up her strokes with her mouth. She could feel him matching her rhythm and she decided to cup his balls. He grabbed her hair as he thrust into her and her eyes lazily traveled up to his face again, wanting him to see how much that simple action turned her on.

She lifted her skirt with her other hand, unable to stand her arousal anymore. She roughly shoved her panties to the side and found herself soaking and incredibly sensitive to even the clumsy touch of her left hand.

The smell of her arousal suddenly hit Draco and he growled when he looked down again and saw her with a hand under her skirt. He pulled her hair to get her to look up at him again. When she looked up, he asked, "You want me to help you with that?"

She made an affirmative 'mm hmm' sound without breaking her stride and he was pretty sure that he was in love with her in that moment. He pulled himself out of her mouth and picked her up swiftly.

With a wave of his hand, his clothes disappeared and folded themselves on the chair near the door. He put her on the bed. She started to protest, but he silenced her with a look and then showed her how he wanted her to lay. He put her head hanging off the side of the bed and lifted her skirt so she could spread her legs across the soft sheets. She felt very exposed, but at the same time, the look on his face as he took in her position made her feel very confident. He took a step forward and she saw how this would work. Her mouth was at the level of his swollen cock and he could reach forward to fondle her at his leisure.

He was raring to get right back in her mouth but he saw her slight discomfort at the exposure. He knelt in front of her and kissed her for a moment. He could feel her relaxing, even as she was obviously tight with arousal. He ran his fingers down her throat as they kissed and then followed the lines of her body to her perfect breasts. She moaned when he flicked his thumbs over her hard nipples. When she sucked on his tongue, the sensation went straight to his cock and he understood that she was ready. He stood, starting to pinch and roll her nipples as he rubbed the head of his dick against her soft lips. He saw her hips tilt, seeking contact.

She sucked his head into her mouth greedily and moaned around his hardness when she realized how different this was. He thrust gently into her mouth as he ran his hands further down her body. She took him deeper as he stroked his long fingers over her mound through her panties. He moved the material to the side and stroked softly against her outer lips, ready to pull back if she seemed hesitant to his touch. She moaned around his cock and he took it as permission to continue. He began to carefully thrust into her mouth, glad when she wrapped her fingers around him to guide him to the depth she was comfortable with.

Draco circled her opening and then her clit with his fingers testing for what she liked. When he established a comfortable rhythm with his fingers, he leaned down and sucked her nipples.

Hermione started thrusting her head up to meet him, taking him deeper the more she was stimulated.

He was getting close and was desperate to taste her. He began kissing down her stomach, nipping her soft skin randomly.

She was dying, she thought. His fingers were pressing just a hair too gently and she ached to be filled by him instead. She felt his warm breath above her mound just before he began kissing her clit and circling her hole with his deft fingers. Her mind was chanting _More! _Even as he began working his finger into her and licking gently at her clit. She could hear herself moaning and adjusted her head so he would be thrusting against the back of her throat, each thrust making her moans break. She could feel him getting closer as his tongue got sloppier and his finger became rougher inside of her. The knowledge made her feel powerful and she could feel herself edging toward her orgasm again.

He made a guttural noise and then said against her clit, "I'm going to…" before she felt him get harder in her mouth and she came around his finger as he thrust fully into her throat. She was coming so hard that her body didn't even gag when he came in her mouth and throat.

She swallowed on instinct as he gently began to withdraw from her mouth.

He gently withdrew his fingers and placed a soft kiss on her clit before helping her turn around so she was more comfortable. He sat down next to her and looked at her with around dazed expression. She could see he was shaking when he asked her, "Do you want water?"

"Yes please," She answered, feeling dazed herself. He reached to his bedside table and poured water into a glass from a jug. Before he picked it up, he helped her to sit up with her back against his chest and then handed her the glass.

He nuzzled against her neck as she took a few sips. "I certainly hope that this was ok for you," he said softly as she sipped.

She hummed in agreement, then said, "I've never tried that kind of thing before. That was…" she took another sip, trying to ignore the vulnerability she felt, "That was extremely sexy."

"You are extremely sexy," he responded, wrapping his arms around her and cupping her breasts.

She could feel herself blushing. "I'm hard pressed to believe it, but given how you reacted, I suppose you must have lower standards than I realized," she said in a teasing voice.

He nipped at her skin with his teeth, biting harder than he had before. "I'll have you know that my family is French, Granger. If there's one thing I know, it's sexy. And you, my dear, most definitely are sexy." He squeezed her breasts together, "I mean, have you even looked at these tits? I would worship them for hours if you give me the chance. And your pussy tastes like heaven." His voice was getting more gruff as she spoke, and she could feel him getting hard again against her back. He left one hand to tease her breasts and slid his other fingers down to stroke along her panties, dipping between her lips softly. "Gods Granger, your body is made to be worshipped and fucked," He groaned as she arched her back into his hands. "Do you feel me getting hard against you? You're so responsive to my touch. I just want to bend you over and take you and then we can debate the merits of having a house elf and even that is sexy. The thought that you have such a mind to go along with this body is what makes you truly sexy."

"Draco," She moaned, feeling him squeeze her nipple harder when she said it, "We have to go back to the Ministry."

He sighed and then let her go, reluctantly. "You're right." She stood to get her clothing and he watched her like a hawk, drinking in her skin. When she was buttoning her shirt, he stood, his erection jutting out proudly. She glanced over and he watched her as she looked over his whole body, licking her lips when she came to his cock. He saw her shake her head and resolutely look away. He smirked, glad to know he wasn't the only one affected between them.

She sat on the bed as he dressed, and she watched him. He caught her watching out of the corner of his eye and said, "This erection is not going to go away if you keep staring at me like that," with a chuckle.

She blushed and muttered, "Sorry."

He said, "I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be permanently hard every time I see you now."

She grinned and looked at him, "I won't be able to help you when we are in a meeting, you know."

He smirked as he buckled his belt. "I'm sure we can work something out for after our meetings."

Her wand started to flash, indicating their time together was only 15 minutes from ending. "Draco! We've got to hurry!"

Draco smirked. "You'll likely want to straighten your hair before we go. It's falling out of your clip thing."

She dashed into the bathroom attached to the room and saw he was right. She fixed it quickly and then cast a quick glamour over the puffiness of her lips. She checked her neck for marks and didn't see any.

When they were ready to go, they flooed together and then they parted in the lobby of the Ministry. Hermione raced off to her office and Draco watched her go with a small smile on his face and made his way off to his own office at a more respectable pace. Neither of them noticed the person noticing _them_ arriving together.

* * *

A/N: Alright, so this is a long chapter (compared to the other chapters, that is). I think it was worth it. I've made the decision to add at least one more chapter just to have the party scene for certain, and then I'll add a chapter of smut if I can't put it in the party scene.

I'm really sorry about the time between updates. Life has gotten exponentially more stressful over the last month.


	6. Destroying journalism as we know it

Tuesday evening

Hermione Granger was relaxing by her fireplace, pretending to read a book in her bathrobe after her evening shower. A soft tapping on her window broke the deep reverie of her lunch while staring at the book in her hands. She jumped up and eagerly went to the window to let the owl into her home. The owl dropped two letters on her table and then sat at the window calmly, apparently not wanting a treat, but still awaiting an answer.

The first envelope contained an invitation to Pansy's party on the coming Saturday. Hermione filled the RSVP card and set it aside to give back to the owl to take to its owner.

The second envelope had Draco's elegant scrawl addressing her. Hermione opened the letter with a smile.

"_Hermione,_

_I may or may not have become extremely interested in Muggles of late, although I've no idea why it might have become an obsession. I've discovered a rather charming mode of courtship which has begun to make me think these muggles have (sometimes, mind you) good ideas. Contained within this envelope, you'll find the beginnings of what I have determined to be good ideas from these muggles."_

Hermione paused and glanced at the envelope, then decided to finish this note first, then satisfy her curiosity.

"_Don't look for it yet, though. Look for it at the end of the letter, you silly girl."_

Hermione laughed to herself then continued.

"_Now, on to the real reason I'm writing to you. You are by far the most eligible Bachelorette in the Wizarding world, wouldn't you agree? As the most eligible bachelor, I'm certain I would know my equal when I met her. Pansy is the Editor of Witch Weekly, you know. She's pointed out to me that whomever I escort to a party gets an immediate media frenzy about them, so I often bring models or actresses, simply because they are used to the attention. However, I've a theory that if the most eligible bachelor and the most eligible Bachelorette were to arrive together, as each other's dates to a party, say, the press might just implode. So I was wondering if you might want to try to eradicate the journalist population of Wizarding London with me? _

_Yours,_

_Draco_

Hermione stared at the 'yours' for a few seconds before she allowed the screaming giddy little teenager in her mind to be acknowledged. She felt a huge grin on her face as soon as she became aware of the rest of the universe beyond a certain letter she had just read.

Then she remembered the muggle courtship thing he mentioned and looked back in the envelope. There was a smallish square of parchment tucked in there and she fished it out. Turning it over, she read:

_Do you want to be my girlfriend? _

_[] yes_

_[] no_

Hermione started giggling at how absurdly funny Draco could be.

She checked yes on his silly little note, flipped it over, and wrote "_Those journalists will never know what hit them -H". _Then she turned and grabbed a spare envelope from one of her muggle bills, wrote _Draco Malfoy, Eligible Bachelor Extraordinaire_ on the front and stuffed his little square into the envelope, and finally gave both Draco and Pansy's letters to the waiting owl.

* * *

"Draco?" Pansy's smooth voice broke into Draco's musings like a bullet through glass. He turned around, startled. "My apologies, Draco. Did I startle you?"

Draco visibly relaxed when he saw her. He cleared his throat and said, "Yes. I was just off in my own little world. Sorry. What is it?"

"You've a letter. I'm assuming it's from Granger, but it just says 'Draco Malfoy, Eligible Bachelor Extraordinaire' so I'm not sure." Draco was chuckling. "Given your reaction I'll assume the title is an inside joke."

Draco looked at Pansy for a moment, realized she probably felt left out, then said, "It is. You were very much right about Granger and I. There definitely is something there. That's what I was just thinking about. I sent her a letter asking her to be my girlfriend, in a silly muggle way. This must be her response."

Pansy looked scandalized. "You asked her to be your girlfriend? And in a letter? Draco!"

Malfoy snorted laughter and answered her indignant tone with an impersonation of it when he said, "Pansy!"

"Oh, do be serious Draco! How utterly informal! In a letter!"

Draco sat down in his chair and gestured for Pansy to sit as well. Pansy shook her head and put her hands on her hips, looking a bit peeved. Draco sighed, "I want her, Pansy." He scratched the back of his neck in a nervous gesture as he said, "I want her and I don't want to rush it. If I had asked her in her presence, I would have not been able to refrain from…" He flushed.

Pansy sat down, all of her indignation was forgotten in a moment. "You've got it bad, don't you?"

Draco laughed humorlessly. "Oh. Yes I sure do. Not…" he glanced at the picture of himself and Tori at that party. "If I'm to be honest, Pans, not even Astoria made me feel this much."

"Do you think it's…?" Pansy began, but was afraid to finish the question.

Draco glanced at her briefly. "It's possible. There's so little in my bloodline it should be negligible. I can't even really detect it except during certain cycles of the moon." Draco shrugged and stood again. He opened the letter and saw Hermione's response and felt a huge grin bloom across his face.

"I'll take it she said yes to your horribly improper proposition, then?" Pansy asked, sounding sour.

Draco glanced at her, still grinning. Even Pansy's hard heart softened at seeing her friend so utterly happy. "She said yes, _and_ she will be my date to your party!"

Pansy smiled, prettily. "Well, then. I ought to be sure that Ginny contacts the best designers for both her own and for Granger's gowns. Do you think Granger would do a full interview in exchange or would that be impertinent to ask?"

Draco laughed. "How about this, _I'll_ do a full interview in exchange for her dress. Does that satisfy?"

Pansy's smile grew. "Really? A real interview? With _The_ Draco Malfoy?" Pansy stuck out her hand, which Draco shook as she said, "Deal! Can we rush it to get to the next edition, so you're still a bachelor and not tied down with a _girlfriend_?" Pansy added, lighthearted for the first time in a long time.

"You want it done before tomorrow night? Merlin, Pansy. Yes, yes fine. Get on the line with Ginerva and whatever designer is the best these days. The fitting will have to be for the day before the-"

"Are you honestly telling me _ME _how to do this?" Pansy interrupted.

Draco chuckled. "Yes yes, you're right. Try not to let slip that Hermione is my girlfriend when you speak to Ginerva. She will want to tell her herself. Are you going to go with the 'She's the most eligible Bachelorette ever so she should be the best dressed' line?"

Pansy nodded, she pulled out her wand and conjured a quill and parchment to make plans. "Purple for Granger, I think. Silver accents. Possibly some embroidery…" she muttered as she wrote.

"I've some heirloom jewelry which would suffice to match that Pans."

"Good, good. Yes, try for a short chain, she's got that long neck, you know. Oh, and perhaps I should get her a hair appointment…"

"Don't forget to let me know if you want her to have a net, if you decide to go vintage. I'm sure there is a matching set in my vault which might work."

"Oh. Vintage, that's an idea… embroidery…" Pansy muttered, not really hearing Draco any longer.

Draco flipped the note over in his hands as Pansy's mutterings became quieter. "_Those journalists will never know what hit them -H" _he read. A grin lit his face again.

* * *

Ginny had to practically drag Hermione through the fitting of her dress. There were loud arguments and many promises mainly involving cakes for Ginny to make before Hermione would even consider how much of an honor this whole thing really was.

The design team had made both women's dresses overnight, and by Thursday's lunchtime (extremely rushed) fitting appointment, the dresses only needed to be slightly altered and would be delivered the next day. Hermione's diligent stubborn streak made the rush of the appointment even harder.

After the appointment, Ginny said again, "I can't believe you're upset at being treated like royalty, Hermione. You're going to a hugely important party that will set you up for so much more success, and you don't have to lift a finger to look the part of-"

"A paparazzi loving, attention seeking whore?" Hermione interrupted, helpfully.

"A fucking gorgeous and highly successful woman, I was going to say," Ginny answered with a frown. "I will never understand why you're so dead set against being treated like you should be."

Hermione pressed the button for the lift, hoping to end this conversation soon. "Because, Ginerva, unlike you and that idiot of a brother you have, I don't want to be famous. I don't like it."

When Hermione glanced over, Ginny looked hurt. "I don't like being in the spotlight. I'm just accepting of the fact that the man I love is the center of a stupid media frenzy and so do just enough so the press won't have anything negative to write about me. That includes dressing up for stupid parties, and sometimes getting gratis from major designers because they wind up making tonnes of money when I say that I'm wearing their gown. Not everyone who is in the spotlight is like the girl who stole my brother from you, and if you want my opinion, you really ought to think about how your stereotypes of other women make _you_ the true stereotype here. You've turned into a bitter woman who dismisses her own femininity out of fear of being like those women you hate so much." Lowering her voice which had risen as she had said all of this, Ginny continued, looking more upset, "Need I remind you that you and Draco are now together and so you will have every reporter snooping to try to find you at your worst so they can plaster you all over the gossip swill? No? It's happened to me, and I can assure you it is extremely stupid and also horrid to your own self worth." Ginny was on the verge of tears, but stood her ground. "Now, your hair appointment is at 3, on Saturday. Don't wash your hair, they'll be doing it for you."

Hermione was stunned in the face of the anger from her redheaded best friend. When Ginny looked at her expectantly, Hermione grabbed her in a fierce hug. "I love you Gin," she said, near tears herself, but also laughing.

Ginny hugged her back and said, "I know, I love you too."

Hermione entered her office after checking with her new secretary for her remaining appointments for the day. She was well pleased with her lack of appointments after 3 and smiling to herself about the dress she had just tried on. "Already smiling, and you haven't even seen me yet, I had no idea the effect I had on you Granger."

Hermione looked up and found the overly smug and detestable face of Cormac Mclaggen attached to a overly cologned body which was currently sitting behind her desk stinking up the place _and_ with his repulsive cockroach colored shoes planted on the marble desktop. Hermione felt her face shrivel in distaste. "Get out from behind my desk. What do you want?"

Mclaggen smiled and stood gracefully, he said with an indulgent tone, "Why Hermione, I'm saddened to hear you speak so! Here and I thought we were friends. But, I suppose your latest company has made you forget that." Hermione frowned in confusion. Did he mean Ginny? What was he talking about? "Seems like he forgot about _you_ already." Mclaggen smirked and pulled out a copy of Witch Weekly and placed it on her desk softly.

The magazine had a handsome picture of Draco in a soft grey turtleneck sweater, alternating between looking out the expansive window next to him and smiling at the camera. The headline under him was a bright yellow script declaring

_**Most Eligible Bachelor in the Wizarding World EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: **_

_**What he looks for in a woman**_

_**Why he's still single**_

_**How he keeps in such FABULOUS shape**_

_**And MORE!**_

_Oh what utter rubbish, _Hermione thought. It was obvious to her that Pansy was capitalizing on Draco to sell some magazines, then she would probably release a special edition after her and Draco came out as a couple. Hermione was actually slightly jealous that she hadn't thought of it herself, but then she had also had a hellishly busy week. "I'm sorry, Mclaggen, what is it exactly that you wanted out of this? Am I supposed to break down in tears because my friend is on the front cover of his friend's magazine?" Hermione crossed her arms and quirked an eyebrow at the idiot in front of her.

He scoffed. "Oh please, Granger. I saw you two getting out of the floo together the other day. If he's just your friend, then why did you look like you had just been shagged? Is that how you treat your friends? You just slut around with th-" _SLAP _

"_You shut your pompous mouth Mclaggen!" _Hermione shrieked. Her magic was tingling at the ends of her fingers, making her hair lift and crackle as though she was covered in static. She took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could, "Get out of my office you moron."

Mclaggen, to his credit, stood his ground in the face of her rage. "What's wrong _Hermione, _did poor little Granger her herself her feelings hurt? I was going to offer to take you to Pansy's party in place of your _friend_, but if this is how you treat your real friends, maybe I ought not."

Hermione almost let the rage overtake her, but a sudden realization hit her. Mclaggen was a reporter. She smiled instead. "Why Cormac," she said, straining to not flay him alive. "If you wanted a date all you had to do was ask." His eyes lit up in excitement. "No. I shall not accept the invitation to the party from you, because I already have a date. I have no idea why you would think we are friends. Is it because you've forgotten that you _stalk_ me? You see, even though you'll never understand, you are a cockroach and I hate you. I would never willingly have contact with you, as I have been telling you since after Slughorn's Christmas party. Have you gotten your scoop yet?" Mclaggen, up until this point had been getting redder in anger, now blanched. "Oh, sorry, Mclaggen. Perhaps you hadn't heard. They call me Smartest Witch of Her Age for a reason you insufferable, ill-bred, mutilation of decency. Now. Get. Out. Of. My. Office. Before you get insulted a second time."

Mclaggen scuttled out of her office and Hermione spent 10 minutes first magically and then manually searching for recording devices. She called in her secretary and told her to get hold of Harry and have him sweep the office again. Then she chewed the secretary out for letting Mclaggen in her office in the first place and had the secretary reschedule everything for the rest of the day because her office was no longer secure. She also ordered new pens, a new batch of parchment and a sweep of her computer just to be certain. Then she left the office and went to find Draco so she could have a few words with him.

* * *

When Hermione arrived at Draco's office, she was told he was in a meeting and would be out shortly. She stood near a large window charmed to always show a sunset over a moving ocean. When the door clicked open behind her, Draco was telling one of his underlings a final farewell, but lost his train of thought when he spotted Hermione. The nerdy looking wizard he had been speaking to awkwardly said goodbye and walked out.

"Granger." He cleared his throat. "Miss Granger, what a surprise it is to see you."

Hermione glared at him. "May I have a moment of your time, Mr. Malfoy?" she asked icily.

Draco quirked an eyebrow and looked at his secretary. "Gloria, how long can I give to Miss Granger?"

"You have a free, but short, lunch and then an appointment at 1:45, Mr. Malfoy." Came the smooth answer from the plain faced but obviously intelligent young woman.

"Consider all of that time a meeting with Miss Granger." He looked at his watch, "You may take your lunch, Gloria."

The secretary nodded, gathered her things, and left without another word as Draco led Hermione into his huge office.

Draco relaxed his face and smiled at Hermione. "Would you actually like to get some lunch?"

Hermione asked him point blank, "What was that interview about?"

Draco blinked then answered, sounding confused, "Pansy is setting the stage for us to come out publicly. Nothing better than a renowned bachelor being snared right after talking about how much he likes the single life, according to Pansy. Should I have told you about it beforehand?"

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. She crossed the room and kissed him quickly before she took a step back and told him what happened with Mclaggen. "I figured that's what it was, but I just wanted to be sure," She finished sounding relieved.

"Well," Said Draco as he pulled on a curl and watched it bounce back into place, "I suppose it's now my mission to destroy Mclaggen."

Hermione swatted his arm playfully, "Don't even bother. He'll be destroyed when he finds out we're together and he knew but never got any proof."

Draco's attention was faltering the closer she got to him. "Hermione," he started, his voice huskier than it had been. "I'm going to kiss you. You just tell me when you want me to stop."

Hermione laughed and blushed slightly. "I was wondering when you were going to."

It took him a moment to not maul her. _Gentle_ he urged himself. _Be gentle this time._ His hand gently cupped the back of her neck, tangling a bit in her wild curls as he pulled her forward. Her eyes fluttered slightly as her body clenched reflexively. He nuzzled against her lips before finally slowly kissing her. She heard herself distantly whimper when his other hand grasped her hip and pulled her flush against him. He nipped at her lips and she parted for him. His sinful tongue swept into her mouth and his hand slid under her blouse to meet her silky skin.

Her back arched to him and he lost his control. He gripped her hip harder and flipped her to sit on the desk behind him. "Hermione," He growled against her lips, "You smell so good," he finished as he dragged his lips and nose against the long column of her neck.

Hermione was lost, again, in a sea of whirling arousal. _Dear Merlin, how does he do this?_ She thought as he nipped at her collarbone. Her legs parted and there he was again. Pressed against her aching core and rocking in just the right way against her clit. "Oh god, Draco," she gasped out when he grabbed her hip to angle her slightly better against him. Her panties were sticking to her wetness and his zipper was just a hair too far to the left, but when she tightened her leg to move him slightly over she didn't know if she felt better or worse. She moaned louder when he flattened his palm against her breast and started kissing her lips again.

She ripped open his shirt and clutched at his bare back, so hot even against her own sweating palms and then he was moving his hand from her hip and swirling a finger around her clit for a moment. Then he was sliding it between her folds and thrusting and thrusting and his palm was pressing _just_ right against her clit and "Oh _god_ Draco!" Her mind went white and nothing mattered except where he was pressing against and how it was enough and not enough at the same time and her heart exploded she was sure and _oh god he's not stopping_, "Yes Draco, gods _yes_!" she shouted as she came a second time.

He withdrew his fingers slowly, smelling her sweat and arousal surrounding him, and decided he'd never smelled anything finer. He stuck the fingers which had just been inside her into his mouth and closed his eyes to fully immerse himself in her taste. He opened them quickly, startled, when she began undoing his fly and pulling his weeping cock into the cool air. "Granger, you don't have to," He started to say.

She kissed him hungrily to silence him. He groaned at the feeling of her small and soft hand gripping him, stroking him while she readjusted and took him into her mouth. He groaned loudly and his mind went blank.

Hermione was debating fucking him on his desk. Did she want their first time together to be in his office with her spread across his papers? She was certainly up for working his big dick into her pussy rather than her mouth, that was for sure.

Part of her mind was fixated on the silky smooth texture of his skin. The ridges sliding past her swollen lips. The small drop of precome she just tasted. She wanted more.

She decided to wait on fucking him until they could at least have a bed below her. Or maybe under him and she would take all the control. She whimpered at the images floating in her head and tried to focus on making Draco come instead. He was already gripping her by the hair and thrusting against the back of her throat. She relaxed her throat and he started slipping further down as he fucked her face. That thought alone had her contracting in arousal.

"Hermione I'm coming," He warned gruffly. Her mouth was filled with his hot seed as he groaned above her. He leaned forward, balancing on the desk with his extended arm, shaking.

Hermione swallowed and released his softening member from her mouth.

"Granger," he said, his voice hoarse, "You were supposed to tell me to stop."

She stood and sat primary on the edge of his desk, crossing her legs. "I didn't want you to stop." She answered with a shrug. "Now, do you want to go out and be seen together and start some rumors, or order in?"

Draco smirked and tried to ignore the whisper in the back of his mind that he was already head over heels for her. "Rumors. Let's just pop over to the coffee shop and grab a sandwich." He tucked a wayward curl behind her ear, "Want to fix your hair?"

**A/N:** Alright… I'm sorry. Depression is a bitch. I'm glad to see people like this story. I'm growing frustrated with how it keeps being extended, but I don't know how to make the story bend to my will. It goes where it goes.

Anyway, I have part of the party written, and I hope to have this story finished up by the end of February. Maybe I will. I really hope I will. I'm trying.


	7. The Finale

A/N: I am finally fucking done doubting myself about this story. I tried to write it with Hermione having normal orgasms because I got a rude message saying that it was unbelievable that she would have so many orgasms. Well, fuck it, ok? This is how I personally experience sex. Yes, I have multiple orgasms. Yes it is a thing that happens, which is why in my stories the female will _always_ have multiples. We write what we know. I don't know how to have normal orgasms, and I definitely don't know how to write them. If it- for whatever reason- bothers you to have a story where the female lead has multiple orgasms then fuck right the hell off. This story is not for you. And probably your ideas on sex are too closed to be healthy, ok?

Hermione Granger was terrified. She was in an estate of Pansy Parkinson which was dedicated to entertaining, dressed in a stylish purple evening gown, and frightened of a door. Well, in opening the door anyway. Beyond the door lay the party to which she had been invited and of which she was also horribly scared.

A lot in her life was going to change over the next few hours, though her mind only interpreted her intuition of that change in the form of blind terror at the mere thought of the closed door in front of her. A simple meaningless barrier in a world of Magic that hid the room beyond from her frightened gaze.

Her fingers found the old scars on her right thumb from some forgotten Potions mishap, a nervous gesture that had been a part of her since her first introduction to magic. There used to be old scars underneath the new ones. An old trio of warts that used to live on her thumb before her parents had them burned off after being teased for touching frogs or being a witch or whatever the schoolyard bully had picked on her about. She remembered the warts better than the Potions scar that hid the remnant of her nonmagical life. She wondered what that said about her in some far off corner of her mind as she imagined an impenetrable door that the world could never open being in front of her instead of this flimsy bit of wood.

She sighed in resignation.

She had been invited.

She was welcome here.

And yet.

Here she stood, wasting time because of fear. Her suitor was beyond this door. Awaiting her arrival and her hand. Her mind screeched to a stop at the insinuation of the suitor waiting for her hand. _No. He just… he just…. Dancing. So… hand in dancing. Not in… _she looked down at the scar for the first time since her mind decided it was a good idea to ponder on it. The bully was left behind, she told herself the scar meant. The bully was left behind and what's left is… what a Potions mishap? She smiled faintly to herself. The smile froze. _What if…. What… _"Dunther!" she called suddenly, unknowing if he would come to her summons, or even if she was at the same estate she had her dinner with Draco. She wasn't a resident or anythi-

_**POP**_

"How can Dunther help Miss?" The elf asked with a bow.

Hermione swallowed her screech of fear and cleared her throat. "Dunther… did… did your mistress order you to uh… put anything extra in Draco or my drinks when I was here last?"

Dunther looked up at her, briefly, guiltily. "No Miss."

"Dunther," she said in a warning voice, "Did you put something in Draco's or my food or drink?"

Dunther bowed lower, gave up bowing, grovelled on the ground, pulled his ears and moaned out in his despair, "I did, Miss. I did! But miss must be understanding! Mistress has been so desolate! Maybe, Dunther thought, in seeing her friend happy, Dunther would make his mistress happy!" Dunther looked up at her and Hermione saw he was weeping. "Please Miss must not tell Mistress. She will lose her happiness!"

Hermione was moved by Dunther's dedication, but she was pissed as hell nonetheless. As calmly as she could, she asked Dunther, "What did you put in our drinks?"

"It was just a weak aphrodisiac in the wine! Nothing to be lasting! No love potion or anything like it! Just something to make you two like each other a little different!"

"How long are the effects?" Hermione asked, slightly relieved.

"Just a few hours, Dunther swears!"

Hermione couldn't find it in herself to be angry at the elf, after finding out the intended effects had never materialized in the first place. Sure she had felt the intimacy increase and she had definitely liked Draco more than she might have otherwise, but in the end it wasn't _so_ wrong. It was just a little push like Ginny and Pansy had given them, right? Right. So Hermione was not really mad. Just mildly furious. No biggie. She scowled at the elf and he began babbling incoherent apologies. "Dunther," she growled, "Do not punish yourself for this, but never, ever do anything like this again. You are dismissed." The last sentence tasted horrid on her tongue, but she knew that speaking to the elf like he was used to was the only right way to speak to him, as disgusting as it felt.

He popped out of her sight immediately.

Hermione glared at the door again, more ready to face what was behind it with the adrenaline of her anger pulsing through her. She grabbed the handle and opened the door, letting out the happy sounds of celebration and basking in the golden light cast by massive chandeliers twinkling above her.

She stood at the top of a grand staircase and a man standing to the side nodded to her. The man then cast a _sonorous _charm to announce: "Hermione Granger, Order of Merlin First Class, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister, wearing a custom designed gown inspired by Patil and Patil's spring line" in a booming voice which had everyone in the room turning to watch her grand entrance into the formal ballroom. Hermione prayed her surprise and embarrassment were masked by her attempt at a demure smile and (please gods, please gods, please gods) graceful descent down the curved staircase. She looked out at the attendees and nodded to some people she knew as she was expected to do.

At the base of the stairs, stood the one and only Draco Malfoy, looking luminous in his dress robes. He offered his hand when she reached him and he kissed her knuckles. "You look ravishing, darling." He said as she blushed.

Rita Skeeter materialized seemingly out of thin air. "Darling? Why, has the esteemed Draco Malfoy finally been hooked?" Rita Skeeter squealed. Her voice had been loud, and the entire room, already hushed at Hermione's entrance, suddenly became silent. A heartbeat and then Rita Skeeter was again badgering Draco and Hermione with half heard questions while other nearby reporters began shouting their own questions. All social constraints flew out the window as the ambition in the room became stifling.

Draco smirked and Hermione began to laugh. The next few moments were spent acknowledging that yes, in fact they had become a couple, no, they were not going to be married next week, and if one can believe it, the great Draco Malfoy cared not a whit for the parentage of the esteemed Hermione Granger.

Once Draco began to grow tired of the barrage of questions, he nodded to Pansy. Pansy signaled to the band and a soft melody began to play. Draco asked Hermione to dance and their gaggle of reporters finally let them have a moment alone to dance.

Hermione grinned up at Draco as they stepped into a waltz, blushing in his arms. "Well, Granger. You really do look lovely. Have I mentioned that?" He was momentarily distracted at her bare back under his fingertips but, privately, Draco was pretty sure it wasn't obvious how much he desired her in that moment.

Hermione felt her heart flutter at his words and the undefined emotion shining in his eyes. "I'm certain you've acknowledged my physical appearance at least once tonight. Your ancestors must be rolling in their graves," She said with a laugh.

"Granger," Draco said, biting back a laugh, "I fear I may be related to vampires, for none of them will stay still in their graves ever since I went on this blind date." He struggled to remain serious in the delivery of his joke and finally couldn't stop from laughing as he finished. "My mother would flay me if I hadn't shown the proper appreciation for such a… perfectly fitted dress." He continued, keeping up his facade of seriousness. "Besides all of my relatives, I'm certain that the dress shall indeed be only appreciated once, as this evening I plan on ripping is off your body," he finished with a boyish grin and a wink.

Hermione laughed as she spun and tried to ignore the flashing lights of the cameras all around the dance floor. "Oh, but Draco, it's held up by a spell. You won't need to rip anything," she said, with a cocky grin of her own.

Draco gave her a long look and muttered, "You're going to pay for that, you little minx."

The night passed in much the same way. At one point, Hermione saw Cormac drinking heavily at the bar but couldn't be bothered to care about him. They alternated between talking to reporters and dancing when they were tired of it.

At the chiming of the midnight bell, Hermione gave Draco a raised eyebrow. He grinned and they began saying their goodbyes. Pansy smirked and needlessly told them she was going to stay the night at this residence as it was warded against her ex husband for the next 24 hours. She also looked at them with a knowing smirk before turning back to whichever designer she was speaking to before they had approached.

Draco silently took her hand and led Hermione to the fireplace. He called out his penthouse address and Hermione smiled, stepping through first.

When Draco came though, he crossed the room to where Hermione was looking out the window. She sighed softly at the warmth of his body at her bare back. What started as a question turned into a startled moan of his name when he grabbed one hip in his hand and angled her hips against his hardness and traced a muscle in her upper back with his nose and breath. His other hand gently moved her hair to the side and he rocked her against him, growling softly when she pressed back against him. Every part of her skin erupted with want for his touch, she felt her heartbeat double, triple, then stop completely when he bit gently where her shoulder met her neck.

"I've wanted to rip you out of this dress all night," he said gruffly as he continued to trace tendons along her neck.

Hermione whimpered, unable to think clearly. His hand left her hair and traced down her arm, bringing it around to grasp the back of his neck. "Bed?" she asked, pulling gently on the hairs at the base of his neck.

Draco slid his hand around her front and traced the shape of her breast through the silky fabric, growling in her ear, "You mean you don't want me to fuck you against the glass right here? You don't want all those people down there to be able to see these tits pressed up against the glass and watch you come around my cock?"

Hermione whimpered, pulling more roughly at his hair. "I didn't say that," Hermione answered breathlessly.

Draco nibbled at her neck as he began gathering the long skirt of her dress in one hand. "You'd like that, would you?" he asked. "Letting everyone who looked up see you moan my name. I'll bet you're soaked at the thought. Are your panties wet, Hermione? Hmm? I'm going to make you cum all over my fingers right here. Right here where everyone can see you." He had finally reached where he could touch her skin.

Hermione was whimpering in a near continuous stream, her entire being focused on his fingers as they edged closer to her center. What would he think when he discovered the secret she'd held all night? He was teasing her upper thighs, slipping between her thighs for a brief tickle and then starting over. She thought of what the people down there would be able to see if they could. They would probably see just the peek of her lips under her dress as Draco moved his hands. She bit her lip as he brushed her gently with his pinky.

Draco thought he was mistaken. Surely he didn't just feel her bare lips. He abruptly decided he was done teasing. He stroked against her lips and groaned when he felt the moisture leaking from between them without panties to hinder it. "Oh, Hermione," He growled, "You are a dirty girl, aren't you? No panties?" He slipped his finger between her lips and unconsciously thrust against her when he felt how wet she was. "Mmm and you're so wet. You like everyone seeing how dirty you are?" He pressed his leg between hers, making her spread her legs. "Let's make sure that everyone can see this pretty pussy."

His callused finger stroked along her slit and then circled her clit. "I wonder if they can see your juices from all the way down there?" He whispered.

Her entire focus was on his finger and the tingles of arousal left in the wake. "Draco, please," she gasped as her body clenched in want.

"Please what? Please make you cum so I can fuck you? Is that what you want?"

He circled her clit more insistently as he spoke and she realized she was rocking her hips in time with his finger. "Oh, god, yes," she whimpered.

He bit her neck and brought his other hand from her hip where he had forgotten it existed to her aching nipple. He began pinching and rolling her nipple between his fingers with one hand and circling her hard clit with the other. Hermione arched her back and cried out in pleasure. Wild thoughts circled in her mind, images of Draco just shoving his hardness into her and making her cum and the people down there could just see everything. "Oh god yes like that," She gasped out when he flicked her clit instead of circling it. He started flicking her clit and she had to gasp out, "A little softer," before he had it just right.

He roughly pulled the bodice of her dress down and exposed her bare breasts to the night sky before he entered her with his fingers.

He slowly fucked her with his fingers for an endless moment where her only word was his name and her only emotion was want.

He turned her around and began to suckle her hard nipple before abruptly changing his mind and dropping to his knees before her. He held the dress up and eagerly flicked her clit with his tongue and continued to fuck her with his fingers.

Her orgasm crashed over her suddenly and her needy cry of his name nearly broke Draco's control even as he gently withdrew his fingers and kissed her clit. Hermione pulled him up with a surprising amount of strength.

"Draco, please, I need you," she said as she ripped open his shirt.

When her soft hands touched his skin, Draco grabbed her wrists. "In the bedroom. Now."

She locked eyes with him and then lifted the dress off her body. He could not keep eye contact when her body was bared to him. She winked at him and then headed down the hall with the _sexiest _little wiggle to her pert ass. Draco growled and then stripped off the ruined shirt. He unbuttoned his pants as he followed.

She was waiting sitting on the edge of the bed, feigning confidence. He licked his lips. "Granger," He said gruffly. "Come here."

She stood smoothly, ignoring her nerves. Of course she would be anxious. She had only had a few sexual partners and while she had fun with them, she had never really had an orgasm with them. Draco had made her cum so many times in their few encounters, she didn't even know what to think. Not to mention, he was by far the kinkiest partner she had ever had. Who would have thought she would have such a strong orgasm just from the idea that people could see her? There was something about his attitude which just made her pussy contract in eager readiness for his hard prick.

She had stepped in front of him while thinking all of this. "Stop thinking, Granger," he said with a smirk. "There's smoke coming from your ears at how fast those wheels are turning."

She smiled. "Yes sir," she said saucily as she cupped the hard bulge in the front of his trousers.

He hissed at both her form of address and her hand. "Granger, I've changed my mind. I want you on the bed. Face down, arms behind your back or stretched over your head. Now."

Hermione paused, looking at him for a moment, understanding that he was sexually aroused by something having to do with control. She walked back to the bed and decided she would at least give it a chance. See what it was like to not be in control. He had sort of been controlling in their previous encounters too, so she supposed that it wouldn't be bad.

"Keep your feet on the floor, Granger," Draco said when she tried to climb all the way up.

"OK," She said softly, as she reached her hands up like he had instructed her.

Draco watched her as he slid out of his pants and underwear. "You're sure you're ready for me to fuck you, Granger?" He asked as he softly stroked along the lines of her back.

Her body pulsed in arousal when he touched her so gently. "Yes," She sighed, turning her head to a more comfortable angle.

He slid his fingers against her lips again, testing to see how wet she was before playing with her clit for a second or two. He readjusted himself and then Draco pushed the head of his cock against her entrance, slipping in only an inch before pulling back, only to do it again.

Hermione's body went insane with want, trying desperately to shove herself onto him, wanting nothing but to be impaled on his cock and orgasming over and over again.

"Be patient," He whispered smacking her bum softly. He pressed forward again, his hands on her hips grasping her harder to prevent her from shoving him all the way in. He again only entered her and inch and withdrew. Draco pressed himself forward, allowing his rigid cock to press against her clit then slid it back into her opening, beginning a controlled shallow rhythm. He could feel the sweat on his brow giving away how hard it was for him to control himself. Hermione moaned under him, desperation leaking through her vocal cords, and he involuntarily thrust forward, harder and deeper.

Draco felt her hips jerk and then she was cumming, massaging the head of his aching cock and tempting him to just _fuck_ her through her orgasm. Draco was biting his lip in the most dignified manner as one could while grunting and squeezing ones eyes shut and struggling to control oneself from rutting against this beautiful woman begging him to give in.

"Oh, god, please Draco," She gasped as she arched her back enticingly.

Her desperate moan broke his control and he thrust hard into her. Her body squeezed him again as she began another orgasm around him. He rocked against her, unable to remain still inside her, but too close to cumming himself to start fucking her yet. He squeezed one of her cheeks with one hand and softly traced the lines if her spine once again. The contrast had Hermione squeezing on him, on the verge of another orgasm. He pulled himself out of her slowly, enjoying her muscles attempting to draw him back in. She was so easy to overwhelm, he couldn't wait to explore how many times he could make her cum tonight.

He thrust in roughly and when she gasped and then let out a needy moan, he couldn't control himself any more. She arched her back when he finally gave in and used his whole length to fuck her slowly.

Hermione was gasping for breath, on the verge of orgasm when he suddenly pulled her flush against him. The angle was so intense she came again.

Draco pulled out of her and flipped her onto her back. He pulled one leg over his shoulder and thrust into her again, her body strained and she neared her peak once again. Draco ground himself into her center and kissed her calf, waiting for his own orgasm to back off. "You've been waiting so long for my cock, haven't you Hermione?"

"Oh, god yes Draco please please please," Hermione was so overwhelmed she wasn't sure what she was saying.

"Be a good girl and cum again," He said gruffly as he began to thrust again. He couldn't hold off much longer. He put her leg back around his waist with her other one and pounded into her through her orgasm.

Hermione could feel him hardening even more and she knew he was going to cum. She reached up and pulled him down, offering her neck to him without knowing quite why. He moaned against her skin as he bit and sucked at her pulse point. When she suddenly clamped down on him again, he found his own orgasm ripping through him.

He gently kissed her neck where he had bit her, then shaking lifted himself off her to make sure she was alright. Hermione looked up at him, dazed and content. "Draco," She said softly, and pulled his lips to her own for a soft kiss. He hummed contentedly against her lips.

When he pulled back he said, "Granger, that was phenomenal."

She chuckled, her voice hoarse, "You weren't so bad yourself." She felt him slip out of her and he kissed her again.

A/N 2: Well, that's it. Thanks for reading! I'll be posting a new story soon! I finished a thing! I'm so proud of me!


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